Schommer Races to Bronze in Ridnaun
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by Sara Donatello
Paul Schommer (Appleton, WI/Team Birkie/Ariens Nordic Center) raced to his first international podium since the 2019-20 season placing third in the Ridnaun-Val Ridanna IBU Cup men’s 10km sprint. Shooting a near-perfect nine for ten on the day, Schommer crossed the line just +5.0 back from the leader and set himself up nicely for Friday’s men’s 12.5km pursuit.
“After a long break from international competition, I knew it would take a while to get back into the swing of things,” said Schommer. “Getting back to this point wouldn’t have been possible without the help of many others and I am thankful for their support and encouragement. That being said, I continue to set my sights on the rest of the season with the hopes of continuing to become a better biathlete and represent the US.”
Schommer was joined on the podium by Germany’s David Zobel in first and Sivert Guttorm Bakken of Norway in second. His third-place performance bested 2024-25 IBU Cup Overall leader Isak Frey by 33.4 seconds, as well as Frey’s powerhouse Norwegian teammates, Johannes Dale-Skjevdal, Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen, and Johan-Olav Botn.
In addition to hitting nine of ten targets and claiming the 29th-best overall shooting time, Schommer held the fifth-best overall ski time amongst the field of 100 athletes. Since his return to international racing in January, Schommer has racked up 183 points and currently sits 27th overall on the IBU Cup.
Teammates Bjorn Westervelt (Stowe, VT/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) and Luke Brown (St. Paul, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) will join Schommer in Friday’s pursuit. Westervelt raced to 41st, +2:02.7 back from the leader. Finishing a season-best 44th, Brown held the eighth overall shooting time with just two misses in standing and will start the pursuit +2:14.7 back. Battling illness, Vaclav Cervenka (Grand Rapids, MN/Army World Class Athlete Program) just missed out on pursuit qualification, landing 63rd overall with three misses on the day.
After a break from racing tomorrow, Schommer, Westervelt, and Brown will toe the line for the 12.5km pursuit on Friday, beginning at 05:00 EST/11:00 CET. For information on how to follow, visit usbiathlon.org/how-to-watch. For spectator resources, visit usbiathlon.org/spectator-resources.
