AUS Biathlon at Winter Olympic Games

January 21, 2018 · by Australian Biathlon

Australia’s best-ever Olympic result: 8th place by Kerryn Rim in the Women 15 km Individual race at Lillehammer in 1994, ref: biathlonworld.com

While we wait to see if our Olympic hopefuls may be offered a Wild Card at PyeongChang 2018, we take a look at our best Winter Olympic Games results, since Australia first participated at Olympic Winter Games in 1984.

Australia’s best-ever biathlete is Ms Kerryn Rim (Pethybridge) from North East Victoria, who attended three Olympic Winter Games, namely the 1992 (Albertville), 1994 (Lillehammer) and 1998 (Nagano) Games.

At Albertville, Kerryn finished 32nd in the 15 km Women Individual, and 39th in the Women 7.5 km Sprint.

At Lillehammer 1994, Kerryn finished 21st in the Women Sprint. Her result in the Women Individual remains the best Australian Olympic result ever: Kerryn missed two targets and finished in eighth place behind winner Canadian Myriam Bedard, just one missed target away from a Winter Olympic bronze medal.

At Nagano 1998, Kerryn finished 43rd in the Women Individual and 47th in the Women Sprint.

Ms Sandra Paintin Paul (originally from New Zealand and subsequently from Victoria) achieved the next highest results at the Winter Olympics for Australia, with a 40th place in the Women 15 km Individual at Albertville in 1992 and 54th in the Women 7.5 km Sprint, repeating her 40th place at the 1994 Lillehammer Games, but this time in the Women Sprint and coming 64th in the Women Individual.

There are equal numbers of races at International Biathlon Union/Olympic Winter Games events for Men and Women, with the PyeongChang 2018 races being: Sprint, Pursuit (top 60 athletes from the Sprint), Individual (Distance), Mass Start (top 30 athletes), Mixed Relay (2 Men, 2 Women), Women Relay and Men Relay.

The first event at PyeongChang 2018 is the Women 7.5 km Sprint on 8 February, the full Olympic race schedule is under the Datacenter tab at http://www.biathlonworld.com/

Flashback Friday: Australian Olympic Committee Article on 2015 Australian Biathlon Championships

September 4, 2015 · by Australian Biathlon

This article was originally published on the Australian Olympic Committee website on 14 August 2015:

Biathletes shooting for Youth Olympic selection

BIATHLON: The next crop of Australian biathlon stars will head into this weekend’s Australian Individual and Sprint Championships at Mt. Hotham with a little extra motivation.

The competition will help decide which two biathletes, one male and one female, will join the Australian Team that will compete at the Lillehammer 2016 Youth Olympic Games. Athletes need to be born in 1998 or 1999.

“Our biathletes have really developed over the past 6-12 months,” Vice President of Biathlon Australia Ian Waller said.

“I’ve had the chance to watch them closely over the past six weeks and they’ve really come along in leaps and bounds.

“We’ve had an Italian coach out here training with some athletes and he believes that our athletes are definitely up to international standard.”

Three of those athletes producing impressive performances are Jethro Mahon and Will Neuhaus in the men’s competition while Darcie Morton is leading the way in the women’s event.

“The opportunity to represent Australia would be invaluable,” said Mahon. “Going to the Youth Olympics would be a great new chapter in my life and the many years of training would be rewarded.”

“There would be nothing better than being part of the Australian Youth Winter Olympic Team and being a proud ambassador for Australia,” Neuhaus added.

It won’t be easy for those in contention who compete at one of the world’s highest biathlon courses at Whiskey Flat, which sits at over 1,600 metres above sea level.

Saturday’s Individual event will feature five loops of the course with four shoots while Sunday’s Sprint competition comprises of four loops with two shoots interspersed.

The top athletes are expected to complete the Individual event in 45 minutes and the Sprint event in 25 minutes.

“We have magnificent conditions up here with plenty of snow,” Waller said.

“The tracks have been groomed and we are expecting one of the best courses to have ever have been competed on in Australia.”

Having only had six biathletes wear the green and gold at the senior Winter Olympic Games, Waller believes there is plenty to be excited about with the current crop of juniors coming through the ranks.

“Kerryn Rim was Australia’s finest biathlete who managed to record our best ever result when she finished eighth (at Lillehammer 1994),” Waller continued.

“I believe that with the current juniors coming through they can exceed that result.

“They are all extremely determined to make it on the international stage.”

To be eligible for nomination to the Australian Olympic Committee for selection, an athlete needs to obtain a result in one Individual (distance) race and one Sprint race in the 2015 Victorian or Australian Championship events.

At the first Winter Youth Olympic Games held in Austria in 2012 Lachlan Porter represented Australia.

Matt Bartolo
olympics.com.au

This article was accessed at: http://corporate.olympics.com.au/news/biathletes-shooting-for-youth-olympic-selection

Flashback Friday: Biathlon at Whiskey Flat, Mt Hotham 1997

June 12, 2015 · by Australian Biathlon

Pictured is Australia’s most successful biathlete ever on the international stage, Kerryn Rim.

Hailing from North East Victoria, Kerryn’s highest result at the Winter Olympic Games was 8th in Women 15 km Individual, at the 1992 Lillehammer, NOR Games.

The 1997 photo shows Kerryn taking aim at Whiskey Flat, the only biathlon range in Australia.

Australia’s honour role for biathlon may be found on the Noticeboard in the Australian Biathlon Handbook at http://www.biathlon.asn.au

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AUS Biathlon at Winter Olympic Games

Flashback Friday: Australian Olympic Committee Article on 2015 Australian Biathlon Championships

Biathletes shooting for Youth Olympic selection

Flashback Friday: Biathlon at Whiskey Flat, Mt Hotham 1997