Team USA Secures Best Mixed Relay Result Since 2021 in Östersund
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by Sara Donatello
The momentum from day one carried seamlessly into day two as Maxime Germain, Campbell Wright, Chloe Levins, and Deedra Irwin delivered a thrilling mixed relay performance under the lights in Östersund, SWE to secure sixth place, the best World Cup finish for Team USA in the mixed relay discipline since 2021.
“Today Maxime and Campbell had near perfect legs and they handed me and Chloe such an awesome leg lead and we just had to hold it together,” said Irwin after the race. “I think we were able to do a pretty good job today of showing that even with a few mistakes, Team USA is a team to watch out for right now!”
Germain set the tone out of the gate, charging to the front of the pack and cleaning his prone stage to stay firmly in the mix. Despite needing all three spares in standing, he held on with the third-fastest course time of the leg and handed off to Wright in a strong position.
Wright wasted no time. Skiing with trademark power, he clocked the fastest course time of his leg. After using two spares in prone, he cleaned his standing stage to send Levins out in the lead at exchange two. Levins rose to the moment with remarkable composure, avoiding the penalty loop and using just two spares in each stage before tagging off to Deedra Irwin in fifth.
Irwin attacked the anchor leg with confidence, cleaning her prone stage in a rapid 23.5 seconds. She stayed steady on the final shooting, using all three spares to keep Team USA clear of the penalty loop. Her last lap became a test of grit as she emptied the tank and fought to hold off Sweden’s Hanna Öberg to deliver the sixth place finish.
The team will have a well deserved day off from racing tomorrow, taking time to recharge before the women’s 15km individual kicks off on Tuesday, December 1 at 9:30 ET/15:30 CET.
