The British Olympic Association (BOA) has today announced that biathletes Jacques Jefferies and Shawna Pendry have been selected to represent Team GB at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
Jefferies and Pendry complete the British delegation set to travel to Italy, with a total of 53 athletes selected to compete across 19 days of competition. Their selection marks the first time Team GB will be represented in biathlon at an Olympic Winter Games since PyeongChang 2018.
Raised to British parents in the French Alps, Jefferies’ 2025/26 season saw the Junior World Championship medallist make both his international debut for Great Britain and compete at his debut World Cup. He’ll now make his Olympic debut in Italy alongside Shawna Pendry, who represented Team GB at both the Sarajevo 2019 European Youth Olympic Festival and the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Winter Games. Pendry heads into Milano Cortina 2026 fresh from closing out 2025 with a career best on the World Cup circuit.
Jacques Jefferies said: “Being selected to represent Team GB at my first Olympic Winter Games is an incredible feeling. The Olympics are the pinnacle of our sport and have always been a dream of mine, so knowing that the years of hard work to reach this point have paid off means so much. I’m incredibly proud to be part of this team of amazing athletes and can’t wait to experience everything the Games have to offer when we head out to Italy.”
Shawna Pendry said: “I am so incredibly proud to be selected for Milano Cortina. Competing for Team GB at the Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne 2020 really gave me the hunger to go after qualifying for a senior Winter Olympics, so to have made it feels so crazy and exciting. I’m so grateful of the opportunity and can’t wait to get on the start line.”
Elizabeth Winfield, Team GB’s Team Leader for biathlon at Milano Cortina 2026, said: “Jacques and Shawna’s selection for Team GB at Milano Cortina 2026 marks a defining moment for British Biathlon. Our sport demands exceptional endurance and extraordinary precision, and both athletes have demonstrated exceptional focus on each shot and pushed their physical limits throughout this World Cup season to earn their place on the World Stage. Their achievement speaks volumes about their character, resilience, and commitment, particularly as they are the first biathletes to represent Team GB since 2018. We are immensely proud of them and excited to see British Biathlon showcased once again on the Olympic stage.”
Eve Muirhead, Chef de Mission, said: “I’m thrilled to be welcoming Jacques and Shawna to Team GB for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. This moment is a testament to their hard work they’ve put into achieving the dream of standing of that Olympic stage and I can’t wait to see them in action. With their addition, our team for 2026 is now complete, and we’re ready for the final push towards the Games.”
With thanks to Team GB
