Wright Secures Flowers, Fourth in Otepää

Campbell Wright (Wanaka, NZL/Waiorau Nordic Skiing) delivered an impressive performance in today’s men’s 12.5km pursuit in Otepää, EST, where he climbed 17 positions from bib 21 at the start to finish fourth and shot a strong 18-for-20 in extremely challenging wind conditions. 

On the final lap, Wright battled to hold his podium spot all the way to the final meters, ultimately finishing just off the podium after Norway’s Martin Uldal found one last surge to claim the final podium position. Norway’s Sturla Holm Laegreid took home the win, dominating the competition from start to finish. France’s Emilien Jacquelin secured second place, with Uldal completing the podium in third.

Despite mixed emotions at the finish, Wright had the second-best shooting performance and 15th fastest ski time of the day, and recorded the second-best overall pursuit performance in the field, surpassed only by Laegreid’s commanding race.

Maxime Germain (Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, FRA/National Guard Biathlon) placed two Americans inside the top 25, finishing 25th after gaining four positions from bib 29. Jake Brown (St. Paul, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) also made steady progress through the field, moving up six places from bib 58 to finish 52nd.