Biathlon is back and Team GB is complete, as the final squad for Milano Cortina 2026 comes together.
For the first time since PyeongChang 2018, Team GB will send a biathlon team to the Winter Olympics, with a double helping of talent in Jacques Jefferies and Shawna Pendry.
The duo complete the British delegation set to travel to Italy, with a total of 53 athletes selected to compete across 19 days of competition. Biathlon will take place at Antholz/Anterselva from 8-21 February.
So, without further ado, meet the biathletes set to shine at Milano Cortina 2026.
Jacques Jefferies
DOB: 18.04.2002
Hometown: Les Gets
Olympic record: N/A
A talented cross-country skier who was brought up in the French Alps, Jacques Jefferies will make his Olympic bow in biathlon in Milano Cortina.
Jefferies made the decision to represent the country of his parents, Samantha and Gareth, at the start of the 2025/26 season.
Featuring mainly on the IBU Cup circuit, Jefferies earned a top 60 finish in the World Cup sprint in Annecy before Christmas, enough to qualify for the pursuit later in the week.
As well as his biathlon talent, Jefferies is also a keen musician, while his sporting idol is Lewis Hamilton.
Shawna Pendry
DOB: 05.04.2002
Hometown: Matlock
Olympic record: N/A
Born in Derby but brought up in the Pyrenees, Shawna Pendry is set for an Olympic debut in biathlon at Milano Cortina.
Pendry was just four when her parents moved to Font-Romeu to set up a mountain biking business in the area.
She first tried her hand at biathlon at age 13, later going onto compete at the British Championships alongside fellow Team GB debutant Jacques Jefferies.
Pendry has since competed at the Winter Youth Olympics, which included an impressive 12th-place finish in the women’s sprint, while she has competed regularly on the World Cup circuit this season, including back-to-back clean shooting outings in the sprint events in Oestersund and Hochfilzen before Christmas.
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