Benita Peiffer

Biography

Benita Peiffer is set to make her Olympic debut at Milano Cortina 2026.

Peiffer represented Canada at the IBU World Championships in 2023 and 2024 after competing at the IBU Junior World Championships in 2021 and 2022.

Peiffer made her international debut on the 2016-17 Junior IBU Cup circuit. In 2018 she competed in the IBU Youth World Championships, finishing 11th in the 10km individual race and 10th in the relay.

In the sprint of 2020, she tore her ACL and meniscus. At the time, it felt like her career might be over, but she pushed through the lengthy rehab and returned to compete at the 2021 Junior Worlds, highlighted by a 26^th place finish in the 12.5km individual event. 

Peiffer joined the IBU World Cup circuit for the first time in 2021-22. She achieved personal career highs at the World Cup stop in Ruhpolding, Germany during the 2023-24 season, finishing 22^nd in the pursuit and 32^nd in the sprint.

As a cross-country skier, Peiffer also represented Canada at the 2020 FIS Junior World Ski Championships and the 2017 FIS Roller Ski Junior World Championships.

A Little More About Benita

Getting into the Sport: Started biathlon at age 14… Loved the challenge of adding shooting to the cross-country skiing skills she already had… Fully committed to biathlon in 2020… Biggest role model in sports is US Olympic gymnast Simone Biles because of her commitment and the standards she set for herself… Outside Interests: Enjoys reading, river surfing, fly fishing, mountain biking… Majored in Communications and Media with a minor in Business at the University of Calgary… Would like to pursue a career in social media marketing or graphic design… Odds and Ends: Cousin Arnd Peiffer is a two-time Olympic biathlon gold medallist for Germany… Always does jumping jacks before each race… Travels with a fuzzy blanket, candles, fairy lights and pillow to feel at home while away… Favourite motto: “Everything happens for a reason”…