Wright Bounces Back, Jumps 29 Positions in Ruhpolding Pursuit

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by Sara Donatello

Campbell Wright (Wanaka, NZL/Waiorau Nordic Skiing) entered the men’s 12.5km pursuit in Ruhpolding, GER looking for redemption. Starting from bib 56, Wright put together a solid four-stage race to gain 29 positions, finishing 27th, just +1:14.5 behind winner Johannes Dale-Skjevdal of Norway.

Dale-Skjevdal topped the podium alongside France’s Eric Perrot in second and Sweden’s Martin Ponsiluoma in third. Wright recorded the fourth-best pursuit time of the day, powered by the sixth-best ski time and a strong 18-for-20 performance on the range.

(Photo by Nordic Focus Photo Agency)

Teammates Sean Doherty (Conway, NH/Army World Class Athlete Program) and Maxime Germain (Chamonix-Mont Blanc, FRA/National Guard Biathlon) finished 37th and 43rd, respectively.


Looking back to the sprint races, Doherty led the U.S. men in the 10km sprint with a top-30 finish, while Germain placed 45th. Wright narrowly qualified for the pursuit in 56th after four misses in standing… and an accidental extra penalty loop… while Paul Schommer (Appleton, WI/Team Birkie/Ariens Nordic Center) just missed pursuit qualification in 62nd.


On the women’s side, Margie Freed (Apple Valley, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) had her first clean race, knocking down all 10 targets to finish 40th. Deedra Irwin (Pulaski, WI/Army World Class Athlete Program) and Lucinda Anderson (Golden Valley, MN/Team Birkie) finished outside the top 60 in 62nd and 82nd, respectively. In the women’s pursuit, Freed struggled on the range, but crossed the line in 56th with a smile on her face. 


The final World Cup race weekend ahead of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Winter Games will take place January 22-25 at the Vysocina Arena in Nove Mesto na Morave, CZE. Racing will be streamed live (for free) on Eurovision Sports. For information on how to watch, visit .