U.S. on Fire in Hochfilzen: Five in the Pursuit Top 40, Fourth in Men’s Relay

The U.S. Biathlon Team is turning heads this Olympic season, carrying the momentum from week one in Östersund, SWE straight into week two in Hochfilzen, AUT.

“I don’t think we’ve been in a better place going into the Olympic season and going towards the Olympics,” said U.S. Biathlon High Performance Director Lowell Bailey. “On both the women’s and men’s side, you can see a really good mix of veteran biathletes, young talent, and newcomers who have converted in the last couple of years from high level cross country skiing to biathlon. Overall, Team USA is looking really good!” 

Friday’s racing opened with a standout performance from Campbell Wright (Wanaka, NZL/Waiorau Nordic Skiing), who raced to seventh in the men’s sprint, just 3.9 seconds shy of his second flower ceremony finish of the season. Sean Doherty (Conway, NH/Army World Class Athlete Program) followed with a strong 17th place, marking his first top-20 result since the 2022/23 season. Paul Schommer (Appleton, WI/Team Birkie/Ariens Nordic Center) added depth to the result sheet in 34th, while Maxime Germain (Chamonix-Mont Blanc, FRA/National Guard Biathlon) secured a pursuit start for all four U.S. men with his 54th place finish.

On the women’s side, Deedra Irwin (Pulaski, WI/Army World Class Athlete Program) delivered a clean sprint performance, returning to the top 20 for the first time in over a year with a 17th place sprint finish. Chloe Levins (Williston, VT/Mansfield Nordic Pro) finished 57th to earn a second U.S. start in the pursuit, while Joanne Reid (Grand Junction, CO/Colorado Biathlon Club) rounded out the day in 96th.

Saturday’s men’s pursuit showcased the team’s growing strength. Wright led the charge with his second top-10 finish of the weekend, finishing eighth despite three misses on the range and posting the fourth fastest ski time in the field. Doherty backed it up with an 18th place finish, his second top 20 of the weekend, missing just two targets. Germain was the biggest mover of the U.S. men and climbed 19 positions from bib 54 to finish 35th, while Schommer placed 40th, marking the first time since 2022 that all four U.S. men finished inside the top 40.

Later in the day, the women’s relay team of Irwin, Levins, Margie Freed (Apple Valley, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), and Reid delivered a solid top-15 finish, highlighted by the team’s 10th fastest overall ski time despite two trips to the penalty loop.

“Today we saw the U.S. men with fourth place, just nine seconds out of a medal,” Bailey added. “I think that result is a harbinger of things to come, but overall it is really just momentum building. The top teams didn’t do us any favors either. We had the best guys on the start list who were all performing at their best, people weren’t messing up today. Our team showed the depth that we know them to have.” 

Sunday’s racing culminated in a thrilling men’s relay, where Doherty, Germain, Schommer, and Wright powered to an outstanding fourth place finish. The team used just seven spare rounds in prone and none in standing, skiing stride-for-stride with the world’s best and firmly in podium contention. Wright headed out on the final leg just nine seconds behind Sweden’s Sebastian Samuelsson and lost no time on the best skier on the circuit, a definitive statement that a podium is within reach.

Irwin and Levins closed out the weekend in the women’s pursuit. Irwin shot an impressive 19 for 20 to hold her position and finish 17th, securing her second top-20 result of the weekend. Levins followed with a strong ski performance, shooting 18 for 20 and climbing nine places to finish 48th.

Next, the team heads to Annecy-Le Grand Bornand, FRA for World Cup 3. Racing begins with sprints on December 18 and 19, followed by pursuits on December 20 and the season’s first mass starts on December 21. All races will be streamed live on Eurovision Sports, with live updates available on the IBU App. For more information, visit usbiathlon.org/how-to-watch.