U.S. Men Speed to Fifth on World Cup Opening Day
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by Sara Donatello
The sun may have set, but the energy only rose for the season’s first men’s 4x7.5km relay. “It was good, solid biathlon,” reflected Campbell Wright after Team USA raced to an impressive fifth-place finish, just +1:25 behind the winning Norwegian squad. France claimed second, while Sweden thrilled the home crowd with a third-place podium. This result is the best for the U.S. men since their fourth-place finish at the 2024 Soldier Hollow World Cup.
Paul Schommer opened the race under brutally difficult wind conditions, some of the toughest of his career. Even so, he knocked down his five prone targets using two spare rounds. The swirling wind proved unforgiving in standing, sending him for two penalty loops.
Maxime Germain steadied the ship in the second leg. With the wind easing, he avoided the penalty loop, hitting all 10 targets with the use of two spares in prone and three in standing to keep the team in the mix.
Wright then delivered the fastest ski time of his leg, using just two prone spares and one in standing to push the U.S. back into podium contention before handing off to anchor Sean Doherty. Unfazed by the pressure, Doherty cleaned his prone stage and needed only one spare in standing to lock in a top-five finish for Team USA.
Earlier in the day, the women's relay team of Chloe Levins, Deedra Irwin, Lucinda Anderson, and Margie Freed opened the 2025-26 season with a solid 16th-place relay, laying down a strong base to build on in the months ahead.
Relay action continues tomorrow, with Freed and Schommer teaming up in the single mixed relay at 8:00 ET/14:00 CET. Later, Germain, Wright, Levins, and Irwin will race the mixed relay at 10:40 ET / 16:40 CET. Fans can tune in live on Eurovision Sports or follow along through the IBU App.
