Team USA Sees Strong Results in Opening Week at the 2026 Youth & Junior World Championships
The first half of the IBU Youth and Junior World Championships 2026 in Arber, GER, saw 16 U.S. youth and junior athletes toe the line in individual races, relays, and sprints against the world’s top emerging biathlon talent.
Racing began on February 28 with the youth men’s 12.5km individual, where Aidan Sands, despite four misses on the range, delivered a breakthrough performance. Sands led the U.S. squad in 14th place, his international personal best, setting the tone for the week. John Lohuis followed in 34th, Thomas Van de Kamp finished 67th, and Jesper Rud crossed the line in 84th. Later that day, the junior men tackled the 15km individual. Linus Arstad led the American results in 40th, with Tristan Thrasher (69th), Taylor Carlson (70th), and Eric Anderson (82nd) rounding out the team’s efforts.
On March 1, the youth women’s 10km individual saw Reine Soule lead the U.S. team in 35th. Annelise Baird finished 51st, Noor Erickson placed 79th, and Rowan Tanguay landed 90th. The junior women followed in the 12.5km individual, with Mirra Payson finishing 59th, Abigail Van Dorn in 66th, Virginia Cobb in 73rd, and Seven Bowen in 80th.
March 2 brought the first day of relay action in Arber, with the youth and junior mixed relays. The youth quartet of John Lohuis, Aidan Sands, Annelise Baird, and Reine Soule combined for a 17th place finish. The junior relay team of Linus Arstad, Eric Anderson, Abigail Van Dorn, and Mirra Payson, who shot a perfect 10 for 10 as the anchor leg, followed with an 18th place result.
The championships continued on March 3 with sprint racing for the youth and junior men. In the youth men’s 7.5km sprint, John Lohuis led the Americans in 26th, followed by Aidan Sands (46th), Thomas Van de Kamp (65th), and Jesper Rud (77th). The junior men raced their 10km sprint later that day. Eric Anderson led the U.S. team in 40th, with Linus Arstad close behind in 45th. Tristan Thrasher finished 74th, and Taylor Carlson 75th.
The first half of the championships wrapped up on March 4 with the youth and junior women’s sprints. Noor Erickson delivered one of the standout performances of the week for Team USA, racing to a personal best 18th place in the youth women’s event. Annelise Baird finished 38th, Reine Soule placed 62nd, and Rowan Tanguay was 74th. In the junior women’s sprint, Abigail Van Dorn led the Americans with a strong 23rd place finish, highlighted by clean shooting. Virginia Cobb finished 66th, Mirra Payson 68th, and Seven Bowen 79th.
Team USA has built strong momentum heading into the second half of competition. Racing resumes Friday with four mass start 60 events, followed by two days of relay competitions to close out the 2026 Youth and Junior World Championships.
