Project X: Trying Something New

What does it take to become an elite biathlete? Sometimes, it starts by switching sports.

Project X is U.S. Biathlon's athlete recruitment and talent transfer program, designed to identify high-level cross-country skiers and provide them with the resources, coaching, and opportunities to make the transition to biathlon. The program creates a pathway for talented endurance athletes to discover one of the most exciting and dynamic winter sports in the world.

Biathlon demands a unique combination of speed, precision, and composure. Athletes must be among the fastest skiers in the world while simultaneously mastering the art of shooting under immense physical and mental pressure. Learning to shoot consistently at a high level takes time and dedication, but developing the aerobic engine and technical cross-country skiing skills required to compete internationally takes much more. Project X capitalizes on that foundation, targeting athletes who have built their skiing backgrounds through years of development, collegiate racing, and elite-level competition.

Luci Anderson, Golden Valley, MN native, entered the Project X pipeline just three years ago. Today, she is a 2026 Olympian and one-quarter of the 2026 U.S. Olympic women's team comprised entirely of former cross-country skiers who made the transition to biathlon. What began as curiosity quickly became opportunity. After just one year of biathlon training, Luci qualified for her first IBU Cup in November 2024, made her World Cup debut weeks later, earned a spot on the World Championships team later that season, and added the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games to her resume this past February. While her trajectory is certainly accelerated compared to the norm, Luci’s story demonstrates the potential of combining an elite skiing background with dedicated shooting development.

“Learning to shoot is hard, but it's not a very unrealistic pipeline if you’re a high-level cross country skier,” said Luci. “I don’t know if my story would have gone the same way if I hadn’t done biathlon.”

Will Koch is the newest athlete to join the Project X program. From Peru, VT, Will, a current member of the SVSEF Gold Team, brings a strong cross-country skiing background, and an eagerness to embrace the challenge of biathlon. 

“I always knew what biathlon was, kind of a sister sport to cross-country skiing,” said Will. “I made the U.S. Ski Team when I was 19 years old, when I was in college. I was having a good time. I got talking with my good friend Logan Moore who was trying out biathlon on the X Team. I kind of came to the decision on my own that I was going to try it this year. I actually reached out to the coaches and was like ‘hey, any chance you guys could bring me up for a first shooting experience, I want to try this’.” 

For Logan Moore of Durango, CO, now in his second year of the Project X program, the transition has become much more than simply learning a new sport. He has embraced the challenges, opportunities, and team camaraderie that come with biathlon. Logan made the move to Lake Placid, NY to live and train at the Olympic & Paralympic Training Center last year, and after months of training, made his international racing debut at the IBU Cup in Lake Placid, New York, in March 2026. 

“There’s this kind of stigma in the United States that biathlon is for people that couldn’t make it in skiing,” said Logan. “Honestly, I couldn’t see that being any further from the truth. I was thoroughly humbled. It’s still cross-country skiing, and shooting on top of that.”

“Shooting is fun,” Will added. “If you get the chance to do [biathlon], you should.”

For more information on U.S. Biathlon’s Project X program, click HERE. To view Episode 1 of U.S. Biathlon’s new “Inside U.S. Biathlon” series, which dives into Project X and the athlete journeys, click HERE.