The 2023-24 IBU Cup Season Comes to a Close in Obertilliach

The 2023-24 IBU Cup season ended on a high note for the U.S. as six of nine U.S. athletes raced in the mass start 60 events in Obertilliach, Austria. Over the course of the weekend, the team saw personal best finishes, fast skis and solid shooting performances.  

Sunday’s mass start 60 races saw Nikolas Burkhart (Olympic Valley, CA/Team Crosscut) take home the top U.S. result of the weekend with a personal best 14th, his first career top-15 finish, shooting 17 for 20. Vaclav Cervenka (Grand Rapids, MN/National Guard Biathlon) was the biggest mover in the field of 60 athletes jumping 38 places as he started the day wearing bib 55 and landed in 17th place at the finish. Burkart and Cervenka held the 13th and 14th ski times overall, the top two times for the U.S. team.  

“It was hard not to have a good day after the World Cup boys showed us what’s possible,” said Burkhart. “It was warm, the snow conditions were slow, but our skis were fast! The wax techs did an amazing job and we took advantage of that. Everyone is excited. What a way to end the IBU Cup season!” 

Luke Brown (St. Paul, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) put three U.S. men in the mass start 60 top 25 with his 23rd place result, a personal best and a 23 place increase from his mass start 60 result from last season in Canmore, Canada. Travis Cooper (Kenai, AK/National Guard Biathlon) rounded out the group in 39th, also a 20 place jump, securing top-40 results for the entire U.S. men’s team. 

Lina Farra (Heber City, UT/NYSEF) and Grace Castonguay (Jackson, NH/Ethan Allen Biathlon Club) both raced for Team USA in the women’s mass start 60. Farra landed in 55th, hitting 18 for 20 targets in just her second career start in the discipline. Castonguay, though she struggled on the range, held the 39th ski time and finished in 57th. 

Just two days earlier, after a postponement due to heavy snowfall, Castonguay took home the top result amongst the women in the 12.5km short individual, finishing 46th with four misses on the day. Farra began her weekend of solid shooting with an 18 for 20 and landed in 58th. Jackie Garso (Lake Clear, NY/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) shot clean up until her last round, where she missed three targets to finish in 64th. Tara Geraghty-Moats (West Fairlee, VT/National Guard Biathlon) followed Garso in 67th and Michaela Keller-Miller (Plymouth, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) raced to 71st in her first 4-stage shooting race. In the men’s 15km short individual, Brown raced to 42nd with Burkhart falling just behind in 43rd, with only two seconds separating them. Cervenka and Cooper both struggled on the range, missing six and nine targets, and landed in 61st and 79th. 

Friday’s sprint saw Farra shoot a perfect 10 for 10 to finish in 58th, the top result amongst the women. Garso, shooting eight for ten, finished in 67th, just eight seconds ahead of Keller-Miller in 68th, who held a 44th overall ski time and tied her best sprint performance on the range, missing just one in prone and three in standing. Castonguay crossed the line in 71st and Geraghty-Moats rounded out the team in 79th. On the men’s side, Brown continued his streak of stellar performances in Obertilliach with a 44th place finish, shooting seven for ten. Cooper, with his best shooting performance of the weekend, landed in 53rd. Coming down to seven tenths of a second, Cervenka beat Burkhart to the line to finish 61st and 62nd, respectively. 

With the 2023-24 season behind them, the U.S. Biathlon Team looks ahead to a much deserved rest period before summer training kicks back up in May. For more information about U.S. Biathlon, visit usbiathlon.org, and stay up to date with the team by SUBSCRIBING to the U.S. Biathlon Zeroed-In monthly newsletter.