It was an anxious wait for NSW Biathletes Alex Almoukov and Lucy Glanville to see if they would receive one of the unallocated quotas from a higher ranked Biathlon country and so be able to race at the Sochi Olympic Games. For Almoukov this was particularly important as after attending the Vancouver Games and moving up the ranks since 2010, he could really look to achieve some success at Sochi. For Glanville, if the quota came through it was a bonus as at 19, she was more looking towards Korea in 2018, but being able to compete at Sochi if it happened would be an important stepping stone in her career.

Finally, at 3am in the morning NSW Biathlon President Toni Hulme received an email from the AOC advising both Almoukov and Glanville had been allocated quotas by the IBU and so were to be offered selection to the Australian Olympic Team. Both had to immediately confirm they were fit, healthy and ready to race.

For both athletes and their coach Nick Almoukov selection to Sochi is a great reward for their hard work and commitment and we hope the start of many more NSW biathletes achieving internationally. NSW Biathlon congratulates both athletes and Coach Nick Almoukov who has been the major force in both athletes career’s and their selection to Sochi.

You can follow the journey of both athletes on the AOC website http://sochi2014.olympics.com.au/

and also their personal blogs http://almoukov.wordpress.com/ and website www.lucyglanville.com.au. Alex Almoukov has an especially good explanation on his latest blog which explains the IBU Olympic quota system.