World Cup Personal Bests, Top-10 Finishes for Team USA in Antholz
by Joseph Bonacci
The IBU World Cup traveled to Antholz, Italy this past weekend to race at the Südtirol Arena Alto Adige, nestled in the picturesque Dolomites. An annual stop on the World Cup circuit, and location for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games biathlon races, Antholz brought excitement, World Cup bests and top-10 finishes for Team USA. Now, all eyes turn to the event of the season, World Championships, to take place in Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic in just two weeks.
Races in Antholz kicked off with a foggy men’s short individual. Vincent Bonacci (Salt Lake City, UT / Team Crosscut) skied to a new World Cup personal best, finishing in 46th with a 90% shooting score. Maxime Germain (Chamonix-Mont Blanc, FRA / National Guard Biathlon), just missing out on a top-60 result, finished in 61st. Jake Brown (St. Paul, MN / Craftsbury Green Racing Project) and Campbell Wright (Wanaka, NZL / U.S. Biathlon) crossed the line in 74th and 78th.
Antholz showed its beauty for the women’s short individual the following day, with Deedra Irwin (Pulaski, WI / Army World Class Athlete Program) finishing 46th despite her four misses. Jackie Garso (Lake Clear, NY/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) hit a World Cup personal best, finishing in 66th with only one miss on the day. Kelsey Dickinson (Winthrop, WA/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) and Chloe Levins (Rutland, VT/ Team Crosscut) crossed the line in 71st and 77th.
The highlight of the weekend came on Saturday with the pair of Irwin and Wright toeing the line for the single mixed relay. Shooting well and holding top-10 ski times throughout the race, the pair earned a top-10 finish, landing in ninth place, despite two added penalty laps. Team USA will race in one final single mixed relay at World Championships, hungry for a top-five finish.
With six World Cup weekends under their belt, the U.S. Biathlon Team will now turn their focus to Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic where all eyes will be on the World Championships beginning on February 7. The official team headed to Nove Mesto will be announced in the coming weeks; for information on qualification criteria, click here.
Still to come this season is Team USA’s home World Cup at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah slated March 8-10. For all event information, including VIP ticket experience, spectator information and race schedule, visit https://ibuworldcuputah.com/.