Marlo year 12 student Damika Morton was awarded a Local Sporting Champions Award recently by Federal Member of Parliament Darren Chester for representing Australia in the sport of Biathlon at the IBU Cup, Open European Championships (OECH) and the World Youth and Junior Championships (YJWCH).
Morton was notified of receiving the award on the March 3, just prior to contesting the mass start 60 at the YJWCH in Ostersund, Sweden.
The event is a 10-kilometre biathlon event comprising the best 60 under 19 athletes from the Championship. Morton had an outstanding race finishing 29th.
Morton, aged 16, represented Australia in IBU Cup, which is the International Biathlon Union’s (IBU) second tier world circuit.
Morton achieved credible results including a 63rd in the event in Idre Fjall, Sweden, achieving a world ranking of 186 IBU Q points, which is just short of the individual qualification level required for Olympics and World Championships which is less than 180 ranking points.
Morton raced just one other international Biathlon event in her junior age class, being an Alpen Cup fixture on January 10 where she placed second in the 10km Individual race in Hochfilzen, Austria.
Alpen Cups races are contested inGermany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland.
