New Zealand Winter Olympian and biathlon junior world champion Campbell Wright is set to compete under a new flag.

New Zealand’s second biathlete to qualify for the Winter Olympics has reluctantly decided to switch his competitive allegiances to the United States for the good of his career, a move based on the resources available to the US team. The Herald understands he has contacted Biathlon New Zealand about getting the process started, and from July 1 will be a US athlete.

Wright holds American citizenship and was sounded out by the team prior to the Olympics in Beijing about joining them.

While he was selected for the Games by the New Zealand Olympic Committee, Wright took up an offer from the US team to work with them this year at their base in Lake Placid, New York. Biathlon – a combination of cross-country skiing and shooting – is a tough sport and being able to tap into the resources available with the US team led to significant improvements for the young Kiwi.

Under International Biathlon Union rules, an athlete can switch their allegiances once during their career, meaning Wright will be locked into the red, white and blue.

The 21-year-old has been proud to be the only New Zealand athlete competing in the highest level of the sport, however being a solo athlete he has not had the same level of access to coaches, medical staff, event staff or training facilities. He has also been unable to compete in team relays at Biathlon World Cup events, limiting his opportunities to compete compared to others in the field.

The Herald understands there had been some concern from the IBU that competing as an individual under the New Zealand flag would hamper the potential he has shown.

Although Wright will no longer be competing for New Zealand, he has made an impact on the sport here and plotted a pathway to competing on the sport’s biggest stage.

Wright has been competing on biathlon’s World Cup circuit for the past couple of years, while still young enough to compete in the major youth events. In March, Wright made history in becoming the first athlete from the Southern Hemisphere to win an IBU world title when he took out the 10km sprint race at the junior world championships in Kazakhstan.

“I wasn’t expecting to get all emotional, but I definitely did,” Wright told the Herald of hearing the New Zealand national anthem play as he stood atop the podium.

“It definitely felt like there was a mountain of people up there on that podium with me and not just myself, so that was nice.”