Four Vermont Army National Guard Soldiers will depart next week to represent the U.S. at the Biathlon Pre-World Cup in Austria on Nov. 1.

Vermont Army National Guard Spcs. Vaclav Cervenka and Sean Doherty of 1st Detachment, Garrison Support Command, will join with Spcs. Deedra Irwin, 86th Troop Command, and Leif Nordgren, Army Aviation, to begin training after their quarantine is complete in preparation for the first World Cup races in Kontiolahti, Finland, which begin November 28.

“Being able to represent the Vermont National Guard while competing on the world stage in the sport I love is all I could ever ask for,” said Cervenka. “As the youngest athlete to go on this trip I want to prove that I belong there.”

In 2018, Doherty became the first U.S. Biathlon athlete to triple podium at any World Championship event after placing third in sprint, second in pursuit and third in mass start at the U.S. Biathlon National Championships in Park City, Utah. Both Doherty and Leif represented the U.S. at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games and the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games.

The Vermont Army National Guard manages the National Guard Biathlon Program out of the Camp Ethan Allen Training Site in Jericho, Vermont, which is home to one of the oldest Biathlon facilities in the United States. Over 160 Soldiers participate in the National Guard Biathlon Program every year in addition to serving with their assigned units across the country.