U.S. Biathlon Shines at IBU Cup 5 with Personal Bests and Top-10 Finishes
by Sara Donatello
IBU Cup 5 brought the U.S. Biathlon Team east to Brezno-Osrblie, SVK. The week saw two personal best performances, top-10 results, impressive range performances and speedy skis. The team's strong performances set the stage for continued success as they head into the training block before Open European Championships at the end of January.
Bjorn Westervelt (Stowe, VT/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) led the U.S. results in the men’s 15km short individual to kick off the race weekend. Paul Schommer (Appleton, WI/Team Birkie/Ariens Nordic Center) followed in 38th, and Vaclav Cervenka (Grand Rapids, MN/Army World Class Athlete Program) in 56th. Vincent Bonacci (Salt Lake City, UT/Team Crosscut) did not start the short individual.
Kelsey Dickinson (Winthrop, WA/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) took home the top result for the U.S. women in the 15km short individual, finishing 23rd and hitting 18 for 20 shots. Jackie Garso (Lake Clear, NY/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) followed closely behind in 27th with just one miss on the day. Cheresa Bouley (Zimmerman, MN/Minnesota Biathlon) crossed the line in 46th, and Michaela Keller-Miller (Plymouth, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) rounded out the team in 61st.
After a day of rest, Schommer raced to seventh place in the men’s sprint, his second-best career international race result. Placing two U.S. men in the top 20, Westervelt crossed the line in 17th, rewriting his new IBU Cup personal best result for the third time in just two race weekends. Cervenka put all three U.S. men in the top 40 with his 39th place finish. Bonacci did not start the sprint. The women’s sprint followed with Keller-Miller racing to her IBU Cup personal best result 56th, keeping a solid ski speed despite six penalty laps. Dickinson crossed the line in 35th with two misses on the day. Bouley was right on her heels in 39th, and Garso landed in 45th.
Rounding out the weekend of solid results, the duo of Dickinson and Schommer raced to eighth in the single mixed relay. Both held their composure on the range, using just 12 spare rounds total, Schommer cleaning his final leg.
The team now looks ahead to a week of race preparation in Obertilliach, AUT before heading to Martell-Val Martello, ITA for the 2025 Open European Championships slated for January 29 - February 2.