IBU Cup 5 Concludes With Mass Start 60s

The final race weekend ahead of the 2026 Open European Championships unfolded in Brezno-Osrblie, SVK, where eight U.S. athletes competed across three days of racing that included a single mixed relay, mixed relay, sprint, and mass start 60 events. The weekend was highlighted by Joanne Reid (Grand Junction, CO/Colorado Biathlon Club), who closed out her racing with a top-20 finish in the women’s mass start 60, and Vaclav Cervenka (Grand Rapids, MN/National Guard Biathlon), who delivered a top-30 result in the men’s sprint.

The first day of racing in Slovakia saw Cervenka and Lina Farra (Heber City, UT/Unaffiliated) team up for the single mixed relay. Despite two penalty loops for Cervenka in his final standing stage, the duo put together a solid overall performance to open the weekend.

Following a rest day on Thursday, the team returned to the start line for the sprint races. In the 7.5km sprint, Reid led the U.S. women in 34th place, with Jackie Garso (Lake Clear, NY/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) finishing 46th. Farra followed in 64th with clean shooting, while Cheresa Bouley (Zimmerman, MN/Minnesota Biathlon) placed 87th.

The men’s 10km sprint saw Cervenka race to a strong 28th place finish. Bjorn Westervelt (Stowe, VT/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) and Vincent Bonacci (Salt Lake City, UT/Unaffiliated) had 33rd and 38th place finishes, respectively, putting three U.S. men inside the top 40. Luke Brown (St. Paul, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) finished 82nd.

The weekend concluded with the mass start 60 races. Reid delivered another strong performance in the women’s 12km event, finishing 20th despite two misses in her final standing stage. Farra placed 56th and Garso 58th. In the men’s 15km mass start 60, Bonacci finished 46th, followed by Cervenka in 51st and Westervelt in 55th.

The team now heads into a short training period in preparation for the upcoming 2026 Open European Championships in Sjusjoen, NOR, scheduled for January 28 - February 1, 2026.