IBU Cup Wraps Up Trimester One in Obertilliach

Three of nine IBU Cup race weekends are in the rearview mirror as athletes head on a much deserved break until after the New Year. Looking ahead, trimester two will bring the U.S. Biathlon Team to Arber, GER and Brezno-Osrblie, SVK before traveling south to Martell-Val Martello, ITA for the 2025 IBU Open European Championships. 

“It was a good start to the season for our IBU Cup team,” said U.S. Biathlon IBU Cup Head Coach Mike Gibson. “I was impressed by the hard work our athletes put in, their recognition and celebration of quality work, and their ability to refocus if a result left them unsatisfied. I think we are all looking forward to some well deserved rest, but I’m already excited for the start of the next trimester.” 

The 2024-25 IBU Cup season opened in Idre Fjäll, SWE with the men’s 10km sprint, where Vincent Bonacci (Salt Lake City, UT/Team Crosscut) led the U.S. team in 19th, shooting 9 for 10 on the range. Following Bonacci was Vaclav Cervenka (Grand Rapids, MN/Army World Class Athlete Program) in 51st, Eli Nielsen (Stehekin, WA/National Guard Biathlon) in 56th with clean shooting, and Luke Brown (St. Paul, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) in 66th. The women’s 7.5km sprint saw Lucinda Anderson (Golden Valley, MN/Team Birkie) turn heads as she shot 2+2 on the range to finish 34th. Jackie Garso (Lake Clear, NY/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) crossed the line in 49th, Tara Geraghty-Moats (West Fairlee, VT/National Guard Biathlon) just behind in 53rd, and Michaela Keller-Miller (Plymouth, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) in 71st.

The second day of sprints in Idre saw Cervenka and Bonacci both qualify for the pursuit in 39th and 54th, as Nielsen and Brown fell short in 74th and 93rd. On the women’s side, Anderson bested her first sprint result by one spot to qualify for her first pursuit in 33rd, with Garso also qualifying in 52nd. Geraghty-Moats and Keller-Miller fell just out of contention in 78th and 80th. On the final day of racing in Sweden, Anderson led the U.S. team in the pursuits, jumping 12 spots from bib 33 to finish in 21st; Cervenka finished where he began in 39th. 

The following weekend in Geilo, NOR kicked off with the women’s 15km individual race where Garso led the women’s team in 50th, followed by Anderson in 56th, who had the 4th-best overall ski time of the day. Geraghty-Moats finished in 59th and Keller-Miller rounded out the team in 82nd. Following the women’s race, the men toed the line for their 20km individual, where Cervenka topped the results for the U.S. team in 43rd, followed by Nielsen in 47th, Bonacci in 48th and Brown in 99th. Cervenka and Anderson raced to top-25 results in their respective sprints: Anderson in 25th with the 7th-fastest ski time and first clean shooting stage, and Cervenka in 24th, marking his top result of the season. Garso finished in 52nd, Keller-Miller in 86th and Geraghty-Moats in 98th for the women, with Bonacci in 37th, Nielsen in 77th and Brown in 103rd on the men’s side. Rounding out the weekend in Norway, Anderson posted the third-fastest ski time to finish 34th in the women’s pursuit, with Garso landing in 36th, her top performance of the season. The men’s pursuit saw Cervenka cross the line in 30th with the 13th-overall range time. 

After a weekend off from racing, Cervenka and Bonacci toed the line in the men’s 10km sprint. Cervenka, missing just two targets on the day, crossed the line in 37th; Bonacci, missing three shots, landed in 79th. Solid results this season qualified Cervenka for the men’s 15km mass start 60, where he finished in 39th to round out the first trimester of racing. 

The New Year will feature Kelsey Dickinson (Winthrop, WA/Craftsbury Green Racing Project)*, Chloe Levins (Rutland, VT/U.S. Biathlon)*, Garso, Keller-Miller*, Lexie Madigan (Truckee, CA/Auburn Ski Club), Geraghty-Moats, and Zoe Noble (Cora, WY/National Guard Biathlon), who will be making her IBU Cup debut, all having the opportunity to toe the line for the women’s IBU Cup team. Cervenka*, Bonacci, Paul Schommer (Appleton, WI/Team Birkie/Ariens Nordic Center), Bjorn Westervelt (Stowe, VT/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), and Brown will race for the men’s IBU Cup team. 

Happy holidays!

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*Dickinson and Levins are nominated to backfill open World Cup 4 start spots. Keller-Miller will forgo starting at IBU Cup 4. Lexie Madigan (Truckee, CA/Auburn Ski Club), Tara Geraghty-Moats (West Fairlee, VT/National Guard Biathlon), and Zoe Noble (Cora, WY/National Guard Biathlon) are nominated to backfill the resulting open start spots at IBU Cup 4.  Dickinson, Levins, and Keller-Miller will return to IBU Cup competition for IBU Cup 5.

*Cervenka is nominated to backfill the open start spot for World Cup 4. Luke Brown (St. Paul, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) is nominated to backfill the resulting open start spot in IBU Cup 4. Cervenka will return to IBU Cup competition for IBU Cup 5.