Athletes from 33 nations are taking part in the Biathlon World Championships in Nove Mesto. While the large and established countries arrive with huge functional teams, the underdogs are often on their own – and dependent on the help of the biathlon family. Anyone who searches will find remarkable stories.
Be careful, things get a little complicated. The World Biathlon Federation (IBU) distributes so-called wild cards for every major event. This also applies to the World Cup in Nove Mesto. Wildcards are starting rights for athletes who were not actually able to qualify for the World Games. So far, so clear.
Wildcards are available for a maximum of ten athletes. Condition for this: You must not come from the 30 countries already selected. Whether an athlete receives a wildcard and is therefore allowed to take part in the World Championships is calculated based on the qualifying points they have achieved. An athlete can collect these at selected races. Which competitions meet the criteria for this is a science in itself.
Roberto Piqueras Garcia – one-man team from Spain
Again, it’s easy to notice the excitement in the eyes of the wildcard athletes when they talk about fulfilling their dream: taking part in a Biathlon World Championships. There is, for example Roberto Piqueras Garcia from Spain. This is the 33-year-old’s fifth World Cup. His dark blue van is parked in the parking lot in front of the arena in Nove Mesto. “My car is my house”he says in English with a strong Spanish accent and laughs.
He has already covered 7,000 kilometers since the beginning of January. He packed the vehicle to the brim with: ten pairs of skis, his weapon, binoculars, dozens of pairs of shoes, ski poles. While top nations travel around the world with wax trucks, various ski technicians, physiotherapists, coaching staff, supervisors and media employees, Piqueras Garcia is traveling all alone. “For years I’ve been telling myself after every season that I’m quitting”says the 15-time World Cup starter. Taking care of the logistics all by yourself is incredibly stressful. “One of the main reasons why I continue is the biathlon family. If someone from the big nations sees me alone, I am immediately offered help.” And without that nothing works.
The Bulgarians help with growth
For example, he tests his skis himself, but the Bulgarians help him wax them. When shooting and in training, the Norwegian coach sometimes looks through the glass and shows the hit images. When it comes to biathlon, Spain is a developing country – there is exactly one shooting range. All over Spain. Without the financial support of the International Biathlon Union, the sports soldier would not be able to pursue his passion. “When I tell people in Spain that I do biathlon, at first they think it’s a combination of running and swimming”he reports and smiles.
Piqueras Garcia himself only skied for the first time when he was 20 years old in the military. A comrade then showed him biathlon. Since then, the Spanish one-man team has been passionate about the sport. “Being at the Biathlon World Championships is always an absolute dream for me.” The man from central Spain came 89th in the sprint. “If Johannes Thingnes Bö comes first, someone has to come last.” He laughs.
Darcie Morton – Child of an Australian biathlon family
“Thank you very much”says Darcie Morton friendly. The Australian has just received her skis – in the Czech national team’s wax truck. The 24-year-old is also dependent on help from the major biathlon nations. The Australian team doesn’t have its own waxer – let alone a truck. For comparison: The Germans arrived with nine ski technicians and, in addition to their wax truck, they also had a grinding machine with them. Morton and her teammate Noah Bradford are, after all, two of them. They even have a coach with them – he’s Czech.
Darcie Morton says about herself that she likes skis, “Since I could walk.” The reason is simple: your family. Her father competed for Australia at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. Because of him, his children were infected with biathlon fever. Darcie’s older brother Damon also ran in the World Cup, but had to end his career early due to an injury. The third in the group is sister Damika – she runs in the IBU Junior Cup. “Biathlon is a real family affair for us”Darcie summarizes.
Goal: “Make zero mistakes”
Morton has big goals for himself. She has been doing biathlon professionally since she was 16. “I want to go to the Olympic Games in 2026. And I want to shoot zero mistakes in the World Cup, I haven’t managed that yet. And I want to finish in the top 40. That would be my first World Cup points.”
In Australia, Darcie lives right on the coast in the state of Victoria – there is snow between June and August, but it is a two and a half hour drive from Morton’s home. Accordingly, she is always on the go. “I’m never in one place for more than two months.”
Enkhsaikhan Ekhbat writes biathlon history
Enkhsaikhan Ekhbat Something historic was achieved last week. At the IBU Junior European Championships in Poland he won the individual competition – the first athlete from Mongolia ever to do so. The 21-year-old is touched when he talks about it. “It was my very first podium – I had tears in my eyes.” Zero errors at the shooting range were the basis for this sensational success. Last year he came 72nd in this discipline at the European Championships.
However, Ekhbat didn’t have long to celebrate. With his coach he went straight from Poland to Nove Mesto, where the next highlight awaits the young talent: taking part in his first Biathlon World Championships in the men’s division. Ekhbat also sets his sights high in the concert of the greats: “I want to make zero mistakes in the individual again.” He won’t be competing for victory in the Czech Republic in front of 30,000 spectators. It’s unlikely that any of the biathlon underdogs will. And yet they are a crucial part of the biathlon family – including at this World Cup.