How Margie Freed Went All In On Biathlon and Earned Her Olympic Bib
Until fairly recently, Margie Freed had been inhabiting two worlds: a decorated cross-country skier weighing whether to fully commit to biathlon.
As an accomplished cross-country skier, a few teammates had been nudging her toward biathlon, and she enjoyed learning the shooting component. But for a long time, something held her back from fully committing.
"It was pretty hard for me to make that mental transition and decide, okay, now I'm a biathlete," she said. "Actually, last year was the first year that I was like, okay, I'm gonna be a full-time biathlete."
Before biathlon, Freed had never trained in a precision sport. She found the mental demands of the shooting range unexpectedly compelling.
"Once I made that final switch, I was like, okay, I'm all in, I'm gonna do all the things. There was a lot of different key components that go into making a biathlete a biathlete, and so I was doing all the extra little drills, all the rifle handling drills that go along with the shooting component."
Freed went all in. The payoff was punching her ticket to the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Her team's shooting coach, a former Summer Olympics competitor himself, brought visualization drills into practice. The goal: see the perfect shot before you take it.
"You have to lose your eyes, visualize the process going well, and think about exactly what you want to do."
That said, every biathlete misses. The question is what happens next. Freed has developed what she calls a reset mindset. The ability to let a missed shot go the moment it leaves the barrel and step immediately into the next one.
And, the saying rings true: practice makes perfect.
“It's a lot of repetition. I know I can hit the targets. I know I can. It's more just finding that trust within myself.”
Even with Freed’s self-belief and mental preparation, the Olympics brought a new and heightened energy.
"There was just this extra energy that was put into the Olympics because all the eyes were on it. Even though it wasn't the perfect Games that I could ask for, it was pretty close, and I was just happy to be there and do my best."
Her highlight was a race where it all came together.
“One of the races I did well. I was 21st and I shot 19 out of 20 shots, which was really good for me. I got to share it with the friends and family that came to visit. There was just so much energy on that day. That was really cool."
That day, surrounded by the people who've had her back from the very beginning, was proof that Freed’s leap was worth it
ABOUT THIS SERIES
I'm Amy Wotovich and I am on a mission to interview 100% of Team USA's 2026 Olympic and Paralympic athletes to create the most comprehensive mindset record of a single Games cycle. What do elite competitors actually believe about pressure, identity, failure, and joy? Margie Freed is one of hundreds of athletes sharing their unfiltered answers. Follow the journey!
