2025-26 World Cup Season Recap: Breakthroughs, Historic Finishes, Team Momentum

The 2025-26 BMW IBU World Cup season was marked by historic performances, breakthrough personal bests, and continued progress for U.S. Biathlon. From early-season momentum to Olympic milestones and a history-making relay medal, the team demonstrated growing depth and competitiveness, making for one of the strongest seasons yet for the U.S. program.

Strong Start in Östersund

The season opened in Östersund with promising results across individual and relay events. The men’s relay team of Campbell Wright, Maxime Germain, Sean Doherty, and Paul Schommer secured a strong fifth place finish, setting the tone for the season ahead. In the mixed relay, Germain, Wright, Deedra Irwin, and Chloe Levins combined for sixth place, marking the (then) best U.S. mixed relay result since 2021. Individually, Germain began his season with an 11th place sprint result, while Wright raced to sixth in the pursuit, earning his first flowers of the season.

Breakthrough Performances and Building Momentum

Racing in Hochfilzen saw Irwin and Doherty return  to the top 20 with matching 17th place sprint results. Irwin then went on to mirror her sprint finish, landing 17th in the pursuit, while Doherty followed up with 18th in the pursuit. Continuing with key performances at the future Olympic venue in Le Grand Bornand, Irwin continued her forward momentum, landing 10th in the sprint with flawless shooting before adding a 13th place finish in the mass start. Wright also impressed in the mass start, finishing seventh against a stacked field.

Relay Strength

The U.S. women’s relay team of Irwin, Freed, Luci Anderson, and Joanne Reid, delivered one of its strongest performances in recent seasons in Oberhof, finishing sixth, the best relay result since 2022. In Nove Mesto, the mixed relay team of Germain, Wright, Irwin, and Margie Freed raced to fourth place, tying the program’s best-ever result at the time after battling for bronze with the host Czech team until the final meters. 

Individual Successes in Trimester 2

In Oberhof, Anderson kicked off the New Year with a World Cup personal best of 21st place in the sprint, while Wright continued his run of top 10 results with 10th place in the men’s sprint. Fast forward to Nove Mesto, Wright captured his first World Cup medal, placing second in the men’s mass start, marking one of the biggest individual highlights of the season! Irwin added 13th place in the short individual and 10th in the mass start, while Freed raced to a then-career best 31st place finish in the short individual.

Historic Results at the Olympic Winter Games

At the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games, Freed, in her first-ever individual Olympic race, earned a personal best 21st place finish in the women’s individual, shooting 19 for 20. Wright tied the best-ever Olympic result for a U.S. man, originally set by Lowell Bailey in 2014, with an eighth place finish in the pursuit. Highlighting the Games, the men’s relay team achieved the best Olympic relay result in U.S. history with a fifth place performance, their third top-five relay result of the season. Overarching the successes, multiple U.S. athletes recorded career-best ski speeds, demonstrating continued progress in overall team performance.

Relay Wrap Ups in Kontiolahti

In Kontiolahti, the men’s relay team secured another fifth place finish, helping the team climb to fifth overall in the season relay standings, an improvement of seven positions from the previous season. The women’s relay team finished in 12th place to secure 12th in the overall relay standings, improving four positions compared to the 2024-25 season. Individually, Germain highlighted the weekend landing back in the top 25 with his 22nd place in the 20km individual.  

Historic Mixed Relay Medal in Otepää

At the future 2027 World Championship venue in Otepää, the mixed relay team of Germain, Wright, Irwin, and Freed made history by earning bronze, the first-ever mixed relay medal for the United States in World Cup competition! A thrilling end to the weekend. Prior to the mixed relay medal, Wright delivered a standout performance in the pursuit, jumping 17 positions from bib 21 to finish fourth, his third flower ceremony of the season. Irwin also continued her exceptional sprint shooting form from the Olympics, cleaning her 7.5km sprint race to land 22nd. 

Season Finale in Oslo

The final weekend in Oslo ended on a high note, featuring multiple personal best performances. Freed raced to a career-best 13th place in the sprint, her first World Cup top-15 result, cleaning her race for just the second time in her career. Levins also achieved a personal best 42nd place in the pursuit, climbing six positions from her start bib. Freed went on to qualify for and compete in the first mass start of her career, finishing 21st, while Wright capped the season with 12th place in the men’s mass start to secure fourth place in the overall mass start rankings.

Closing Chapters and Looking Ahead

The season also marked the conclusion of Jake Brown and Paul Schommer’s biathlon careers, both of whom contributed significantly to the development and success of the U.S. program. The team also said farewell to Head Coach Armin Auchentaller and longtime wax technician Christian Sieler, whose expertise and leadership helped guide the program through a period of historic growth. Thank you!

2025-26 World Cup Rankings

Women

Deedra Irwin - 29th (career-best World Cup rank)

Margie Freed - 54th (career-best World Cup rank)

Luci Anderson - 84th (saw first-ever World Cup points this season) 

Men

Campbell Wright - 13th (career-best World Cup rank)

Maxime Germain - 42nd (career-best World Cup rank)

Sean Doherty - 59th 

Paul Schommer - 78th

Nations Cup

U.S. Women’s Team - 13th (6 position jump from 25-26, earned 4th start spot for 26-27 season)

U.S. Men’s Team - 7th (5 position jump from 25-26, earned 5th start spot for 26-27 season)