Anne Bünemann de Besche switches to Denmark and targets a Milan–Cortina 2026 Olympic berth

Anne Bünemann de Besche, 25, has spent several years on the cusp of Norway’s powerful biathlon system. This year she chose to represent Denmark—her parents are Danish and she holds dual citizenship—seeking clearer race opportunities and the chance to help grow the sport there.

She arrives in the Olympic season in good form. At Norway’s summer biathlon nationals in September she placed third in the sprint and won the mass start, then backed it up with fourth in the mass start at the national opener in Geilo in mid‑November. Training at altitude in Trepalle, Livigno, she is preparing for the first IBU Cup events of the season, all staged at elevation before Christmas.

Explaining the switch, De Besche says she feels “at least as Danish,” and that competing for Denmark offers more predictable starts. She also hopes to inspire more young Danes to take up biathlon and dreams of helping field Denmark’s first women’s relay team at the 2029 World Championships in Holmenkollen.

Denmark is strengthening its setup. Veteran Norwegian shooting coach Svenn‑Arne Nordheim has joined the team; De Besche has worked with him for a decade. Team leader and Eurosport Denmark commentator Christian Borch notes Denmark is investing carefully across the squad and has a waxing collaboration with Germany that will cover juniors, IBU Cup and World Cup outings.

With the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics less than three months away, Denmark could receive biathlon wildcard places. Qualification will be finalized on January 18. De Besche explains that selection uses the average of an athlete’s three best results, making stability crucial in the next race block. Her schedule includes the IBU Cup opener in Obertilliach, two further pre‑Christmas weekends, then two more January race weekends, including a World Cup stop in Ruhpolding that counts toward wildcard consideration.

“Results speak for themselves,” Borch says of her autumn form, adding that the better she performs, the greater her Olympic chances. De Besche calls the Olympics a dream but stresses the need to stay healthy and deliver when it matters before the mid‑January decision.