U.S. Racks Up 13 Top 40 Results in Ridnaun

The U.S. Biathlon Team headed west to the Italian Alps for IBU Cup 2 in sunny Ridnaun–Val Ridanna, ITA, where a busy weekend of individual, sprint, and pursuit races delivered a strong showing. Across three days of competition, the team recorded 13 top-40 finishes, including three top-30 results.

Thursday’s men’s individual saw Bjorn Westervelt (Stowe, VT/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) lead the U.S. with a solid 27th place finish after shooting 18 for 20. Vaclav Cervenka (Grand Rapids, MN/Army World Class Athlete Program) followed in 31st with three misses. Jake Brown (St. Paul, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) posted the sixth fastest ski time in the field of 122 and finished 35th despite four misses, while Vincent Bonacci (Salt Lake City, UT/Unaffiliated) crossed the line just four seconds behind Brown in 36th with three misses, placing all four U.S. men inside the top 40.

In the women’s individual later that day, Kelsey Dickinson (Winthrop, WA/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) led the women in 38th with a perfect 20 for 20 performance on the range. Grace Castonguay (Jackson, NH/Team Soldier Hollow) finished 58th with four misses, and Lina Farra (Heber City, UT/Unaffiliated) rounded out the results in 62nd with two misses.

Following a rest day on Friday, the team returned to the start line for Saturday’s sprint races. Brown led the men in 32nd with two misses, while Bonacci followed closely in 36th, missing just once in standing. Cervenka and Westervelt, each with two misses, finished 39th and 42nd, respectively, qualifying all four U.S. men for Sunday’s pursuit.

On the women’s side, Castonguay was the lone U.S. pursuit qualifier, finishing 39th with just one miss in prone. Dickinson placed 69th after her first two misses of the weekend in standing, while Farra finished 76th, also with two standing misses.

Sunday’s pursuits capped off the weekend with another set of strong performances. Brown and Westervelt both cracked the top 30 in the men’s pursuit, finishing 28th and 30th, respectively. Cervenka moved up four positions to 35th, while Bonacci finished 40th. In the women’s pursuit, Castonguay remained clean through her first shooting stages before three misses in the final bout saw her cross the line in 42nd.

The team now turns its focus to the final IBU Cup stop of trimester one in Lenzerheide, SUI. Racing can be followed live on the IBU App. For viewing information, visit usbiathlon.org/how-to-watch.