Army Spc. Sean Doherty’s official MOS — military occupational specialty — is carpentry and masonry specialist. But Doherty, who is stationed at Fort Carson, is currently working in Italy under a different designation as a U.S. Olympian.

Armed with a lightweight .22-caliber rifle and a pair of skis, Doherty will be making his fourth Olympic appearance as a biathlete with Team USA.

“Being a soldier is something that I am very proud of,” Doherty said in his athlete bio. “It is a powerful feeling to know that you represent your country and the legacy of excellence the U.S. Army stands for.”

A New Hampshire native, Doherty decided to try biathlon on the advice of a family friend and quickly became enamored with the complexities of the sport, he told The Gazette.

“It’s a very challenging sport, and that’s what drew my interest,” Doherty said. “Because the sport is made up of two opposing disciplines — cross-country skiing and shooting — there are so many aspects that you have to try to master. The challenge of that has very much held my interest for all these years.”

A longtime international competitor, Doherty is one of U.S. Biathlon’s most decorated athletes despite not yet earning an Olympic medal. He made his first Winter Games appearance at the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia, at age 18. In 2016, he won three medals at the International Biathlon Union Youth/Junior World Championships, bringing his career medals to 10.

Despite his proficiency in the sport, Doherty insists he has not mastered it.

“It’s a difficult sport to master because of all the factors involved,” he said. “But that’s what keeps it interesting. Anyone can have an off day. The target doesn’t care who you are, or what you did in the last competition.”

The sport combines two seemingly disparate disciplines, with competitors skiing a cross-country course, then stopping to shoot from either a prone or standing position at a target 50 meters away. One of the biggest challenges, Doherty said, is slowing his breathing and pulse enough to keep his rifle steady after skiing a punishing course.

“You have to learn to pace yourself appropriately and cope with the elevated heart rate when you’re trying to shoot,” he said. “That’s a big part of our training and one of the longest learning curves of the sport.

“The only way to deal with it is to train your body and mind. We do a lot of repetitions on range procedure, breathing and trigger work so that, when you finally are shooting in the race, those good habits stick with you even when your heart is beating at a high rate.”

Doherty, who joined the Army in 2019, trains and competes under the auspices of the Army’s World Class Athlete Program. A specialized unit that allows elite “soldier-athletes” to train and compete while serving in the Army, WCAP will be well-represented in the Milan-Cortina Games. In addition to Doherty,  Staff Sgt. Deedra Irwin, Sgt. Frank Del Duca, Spc. Azaria Hill, Sgt. Ben Loomis and Pvt. Spencer Howe will be vying for gold.

“It’s a great program, and it’s very supportive of our athletes,” Doherty said. “They care about my athletic performance, but they also care about my development as a whole person, and I’m grateful for that.”

At age 30, Doherty has already had a long athletic career, but he isn’t considering retirement anytime soon, he said.

“Biathlon is not a high-impact sport,” he said. “A lot of biathletes compete successfully well into their 30s. I’m just taking it as it goes, one season at a time. As long as my body feels good, I’ll keep competing.”

While an Olympic medal would be a crowning achievement, Doherty’s main goal is to give a disciplined, focused performance.

“Our field size is very large — there will be almost 100 men on the starting line — and the level of competition is very high,” Doherty said. “I would love to medal, but my goal is to be as prepared as I am able, and to be ready to perform on race day. If I can do that, and if I can say afterward that I did my best, I’ll be satisfied.”