ANTESELVA, Italy (AP) — Biathlon, a sport that combines rifle shooting and cross-country skiing, was developed from Scandinavian military training exercises. So it’s no surprise that many of the biathletes competing in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics have military or law enforcement careers that can help them fine-tune their skills, support them while competing, and ensure they have a job when they hang up their skis.
Three members of the U.S. Biathlon Team serve in the Vermont National Guard: Staff Sgt. Deidra Owen, Spc. Sean Doherty and Spc. Maxime Germain Owen and Doherty are also members of the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program.
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Micah Nevard, director of the U.S. Army National Guard’s biathlon program, said Dougherty is stationed at Camp Ethan Allen training range in northern Vermont, an 11,000-acre site that is home to the Army’s Mountain Warfare School, the 86th Mountain Infantry Brigade Combat Team, as well as specialized biathlon training courses and rifle ranges.
Dougherty said he has trained there since he started the sport.
“As I progressed in my athletic career, I realized that the support and benefits of the National Guard would extend my career and provide resources and support independent of the national team, as well as support and opportunities after my athletic career was over,” he told The Associated Press.
The discipline required of professional athletes fits well with the structure required of soldiers in the Army, he said.
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“I would also say that the military provides a contrast to the small world of elite sport – it gets you out of your comfort zone a little bit,” he said. “It’s a powerful thing to know you have so much support behind you, support that transcends your racing career and allows you to dedicate yourself to performing at your best.”
Many European biathletes have ties to the military or law enforcement
This isn’t just an American thing. Gold medalists Lou Jeanmonnot and Éric Perrot both held the rank of sergeant in the French Army. Lisa Vittozzi, a member of the Italian army’s sports group Centro Sportivo Esercito, won Italy’s first Olympic gold medal when she won Sunday’s pursuit race. Italy supports its top athletes through prestigious military sports institutions.
Becoming a biathlete in Germany opens the door to working with the police or the military after retirement, said German biathlon head coach Tobias Reiter.
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Wright said German biathletes have two hours of training in the morning and afternoon when they start their competition. During this time, they spend time learning how to become a soldier or officer in classes at bases near Ruhpolding or Oberhof, Germany’s two World Cup biathlon venues.
He said when athletes retire from competition, they will have a job for life.
German biathlete Philipp Nawrath works as a sergeant with the Bavarian State Police. Retired German Olympians Erik Lesser and Arnd Peiffer completed the program and now have stable careers.
Peiffer trained through sports school to become a federal police officer and then became a full-time World Cup biathlete. He had a successful career and was an Olympic gold medalist, world champion and World Cup medalist before retiring in 2021. Now he works as a federal official helping young athletes pursue their careers, he told The Associated Press in an interview in Anteselva.
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“I think it’s a huge support,” he said of the program. “You can’t become an athlete at 20 years old. You don’t get bonuses, it’s up to the parents. So actually I think it’s a good system because young athletes, whose parents don’t have a lot of money, can pursue sports if they’re good.”
It also protects athletes if something goes wrong, he said.
“I know that maybe when I’m sick or injured, I always have a job,” he said. “I have insurance.”
The Nordic countries’ military ties are not that close
The origins of biathlon can be traced to military exercises in Scandinavia. At the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix in 1924, the sport was called Military Patrol.
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But today, in Norway and Sweden, the two leading countries in the sport, military ties are not as strong and their biathletes are mostly civilians.
Norway has no plans to prepare biathletes for retirement after retirement, head coach Siegfried Mazet said.
Many Norwegians who no longer competed, such as Tiril Eckhoff and Johannes Thingnes Boe, later became radio commentators.
In Finland, some biathletes serve in the military, but it’s not required or common, Finnish head coach Erik Thones-Kulstad said.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
