U.S. Men Hits Best-Ever Olympic Relay Result, Fifth in Antholz

The U.S. men’s relay team delivered a historic performance today, leaving everything on the course to secure the best-ever Olympic relay result for the U.S. Prior to today, the top Olympic relay finish for the U.S. men was sixth place, achieved in both 1972 and 2018, the women’s best also stands at sixth from 2014. That standard was rewritten today in Antholz-Anterselva, ITA, where the quartet of Sean Doherty, Maxime Germain, Paul Schommer, and Campbell Wright raced to fifth place.

“The vibe is good,” said Wright in a post-race interview. “I think as a men's team, we've struggled a bit at these Olympics. So, I'm really happy that we can get fifth as a team here and that everyone can get a win before the Games finish.”

Racing through steady snowfall, the Americans showed composure and resilience on both the range and the course, crossing the line +2:27.4 behind the victorious French team, with Norway in second and Sweden in third. Germain delivered a flawless performance on the range, shooting a perfect 10 for 10, while Doherty, Schommer, and Wright used a combined eight spare rounds to keep the team firmly in contention. Overall, the U.S. posted the fifth best shooting performance of the day, a testament to their precision under pressure. 

"I'm definitely very satisfied with the range,” said Germain. “I was able to keep calm and shoot straight, which is the other part of biathlon, so I'm happy I had that part. I also felt pretty good on skis. It definitely hurts a lot by the end, but I think I held it together." 

The race marked a powerful closing statement at these Games for Doherty, Germain, and Schommer. Wright will have one final opportunity when he returns to the start line for the men’s mass start, fresh off earning his first World Cup podium in Nove Mesto, CZE earlier this season, continuing his pursuit of historic results.