Almoukov made his Olympic debut at the age of 19, representing Australia as the sole biathlete at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. 

Four years later, he competed at his second Olympics in Sochi, Russia, where he achieved Australia’s best male biathlon result at an Olympic Games placing 45th in the 20km Individual event.

This year, Almoukov will return to the world of sport at the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) as Australia’s Athlete365 representative. The Athlete365 program is an International Olympic Committee (IOC) initiative, designed to support athletes on and off the field, throughout their journey to the Olympic Games and beyond. 

For the first time at Lausanne 2020, the program will provide opportunities for former high-performance athletes who wish to pursue a career in athlete administration and Games operations.

After retiring from competitive sport over four years ago, Alex began a career in ecommerce, launching his own Advertising agency and online retail company, L.A Global. Now, he’s using his experiences to assist the next generation of winter sporting stars in a mentoring role at Lausanne 2020, and on the biathlon course as a Team official. 

“I’m looking forward to supporting the athletes as much as possible, because when I went to the Olympic Games, the support and guidance that I received from the officials was incredible and I want to do exactly the same for these athletes as well,” Almoukov said. 

 Throughout the Games, he plans to create a supportive environment where the athletes can utilize and take advantage of his knowledge and experience. 

“I want to help the YOG athletes to compete to the best of their ability and allow them to experience the Olympic Games atmosphere to the fullest. If I can change and affect one athlete, then that is a really good thing,” he said

“I want to share with the junior athletes that although it is important to have some goals for these Games, it's also about having a good time and getting that experience on the world stage so that later if they choose to pursue the actual Olympic Games and compete and represent their country at a higher level, they can take this experience and be less nervous,” the 29-year-old said.

The Youth Olympic Games provides the perfect opportunity for up-and-coming athletes to get a taste of what it is like to compete at the top of their sport, and amongst the best athletes in the world for their age group. 

In the past, Australian Team representatives such as Emily Arthur and Greta Small have gone on from competing at the YOG to represent Australia at the Winter Olympic Games in only a few years. A feat that, no doubt, many of our current Lausanne 2020 Team will be aiming to achieve in years to come. 

“I think this is a really good stepping-stone for them,” Almoukov said. 

“The athletes will be able to have a little bit of exposure to media and to competitions at a very high level, that will help prepare them for future senior competitions.” 

While it is certainly easy to get distracted by all the hype surrounding an Olympic experience, Almoukov wants to ensure the young athletes make the most of their experience and compete at their best on the day. 

Drawing from his own Olympic experience, Almoukov believes the best piece of advice he can offer the Youth Olympians is to treat the event like any other competition. 

“Don’t over-exaggerate it, otherwise you will just put pressure on yourself. Just do exactly the same thing as you would do at any other competition – whether that is a national team competition, or a training event. And just enjoy it, because it is an incredible experience.” 

As for his own future in sport, Almoukov is hoping this experience will provide further insight into a potential career in sports administration and Games operations. 

“Obviously sport was a massive part of my life, so, it will be good to be more affiliated with sport and have some sort of an impact on athletes' and sport in general, so this is a really good pathway and transition.” 

The Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games commences on the 9 January 2020. Follow the @AUSOlympicTeam on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for latest news and results. Discover more about Lausanne 2020 HERE. 

Taylah O'Neill