The countdown is on for the first biathlon event at the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games in February 2010.

Two Australian athletes are vying for the one spot to represent Australia, in the sport which combines the arduous demands of cross-country skiing, with precision target shooting.

Mark Raymond, 30, and Alex Almoukov, 19, are in earnest training for the 10 km Sprint (Men) and the 20 km Individual (Men) events. This will be the debut Olympic appearance for whichever candidate makes the team.

Raymond, from Alexandra in Victoria has been training in Obertilliach, Austria since last month, in preparation for the European World Cup events. His Australian coach, Paul Connor, will join him shortly for the final stages of Olympic preparation. Raymond first competed internationally in biathlon in 2003.

Almoukov from Berridale in New South Wales has been training with his coach and father Nick, in Nick’s native Russia. 2009 is Alex’s first year competing internationally in biathlon. He also competed in international cross-country racing in 2009.

Raymond and Almoukov will find out mid-January who will be going to Vancouver to represent Australia. Competition for the one spot will be tight.

During the 2009 winter both shared domestic victories at Mt Hotham in Victoria.

At the Australian Championships in the distance event over 20km Almoukov defeated Raymond, with more accurate shooting. However, in the 10km sprint event, both athletes’ incurred 3 shooting penalties and Raymond won with his faster ski time.

For these elite athletes the training continues as the crucial international season begins.

In encouraging signs for what is a microsport in Australia the 2009 domestic biathlon series had record number of competitors across all ages.

“It takes a huge amount of fitness and self-discipline to do it well,” says Australian Biathlon Association Executive Officer and National Head Team Coach Paul Connor.

 “It’s very encouraging to see so many new participants this year,”

Biathlon Australia