University of Utah Health Joins U.S. Biathlon as Official Medical Partner
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Midway, UT – U.S. Biathlon announced today a multi-year partnership with University of Utah Health, industry-leading orthopedic and sports medicine provider, as the Official Medical Partner of U.S. Biathlon and the U.S. Biathlon Team. As part of the partnership, U of U Health will provide U.S. Biathlon athletes health care services and providers, as well as lead the hiring of a full-time athletic trainer and medical coordinator to travel with the World Cup team during the season.
"One of the biggest challenges for our elite athletes on the road is illness, making health and wellness a top priority," said U.S. Biathlon President & CEO Jack Gierhart. "Our partnership with U of U Health, with its extensive expertise and resources in sports medicine, will provide our athletes with state of the art support and best practices that enhance illness prevention, treatment, and overall health and wellness that enables athletes to perform at their best throughout the season."
As athlete health and wellness is paramount to success, U.S. Biathlon’s partnership with the U of U Health has brought on a full-time athletic trainer and medical coordinator. Annika Pasch has been hired to fill the role and will begin traveling with the World Cup team, and supporting athletes on the IBU Cup, in January. Pasch will work closely with World Cup and IBU Cup athletes, team doctors, nutritionists, physiotherapists, coaches and staff to ensure the smooth running of all team medical services.
“We are thrilled to introduce this new and unprecedented position to our World Cup staff,” said U.S. Biathlon Director of High Performance Lowell Bailey. “Over the past several years, we have increasingly seen medical support as a major area of opportunity, especially in-person support and it’s clear that Annika is the person for the job.”
U of U Health is the only academic medical center in the state of Utah and the Mountain West, providing patient care for the people of Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, western Colorado, and much of Nevada. Consistently ranked #1 in quality in the nation among academic medical centers, it serves as the training ground for the majority of the state's physicians, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, and other health care professionals.
“Keeping athletes healthy is paramount to helping them achieve their goals,” said Brett Toresdahl, U.S. Biathlon Team Doctor, U of U Associate Professor and Sports Medicine Research Director. “The partnership with U of U Health has made it possible to bring Annika onto the team. Having someone with her medical training and experience as a collegiate nordic skier on the road with the team will ensure that athletes have the support needed to stay healthy. This consistent presence with the athletes will help facilitate the support from the multidisciplinary health team throughout the season.”
About U.S. Biathlon
As the Olympic sports organization centered around the sport of biathlon, the United States Biathlon Association, known as U.S. Biathlon, is recognized by the International Biathlon Union (IBU) and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) as the National Federation for biathlon in the United States. Founded in 1980, U.S. Biathlon exists to support and encourage the development of biathlon in the United States, to work with biathlon clubs and regional centers around the country to organize training and competition from the grassroots to elite level, and to prepare athletes for international competition. U.S. Biathlon staffs and finances the U.S. Biathlon national and junior national team and is a 501 c (3) non-profit organization.
About University of Utah Health
University of Utah Health is the state’s only academic health care system, providing leading-edge and compassionate care for a referral area that encompasses 10 percent of the U.S., including Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and much of Nevada. A hub for health sciences research and education in the region, U of U Health has a $492 million research enterprise and trains the majority of Utah’s physicians, along with more than 1,670 scientists and 1,460 health care providers each year at its Colleges of Health, Nursing, and Pharmacy and Schools of Dentistry and Medicine. With more than 26,000 employees, the system includes 12 community clinics and five hospitals: University Hospital, Huntsman Mental Health Institute, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University Orthopaedic Center, and the Craig H. Neilsen Rehabilitation Hospital. For 14 straight years, U of U Health has ranked in the top tier of U.S. academic medical centers in the rigorous Vizient Quality and Accountability Study.
U.S. Biathlon Media Contact
Sara Donatello, Communications Manager
