Olympic Test Event Concludes Trimester Three

An annual stop on the World Cup circuit, Antholz, ITA is a venue known for its jaw-dropping backdrop, fan atmosphere, and difficult racing due to the high altitude. This season, not only was Antholz World Cup stop number six, but it acted as the official test event for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games. Team USA had the opportunity to race the updated course over the four-day event weekend, posting solid results to wrap up the first trimester. 

The race weekend opened on Thursday, February 23 with the women’s 7.5km sprint. Deedra Irwin (Pulaski, WI/Army World Class Athlete Program) led the U.S. women in 47th, missing just two targets on the day, to add to her streak of pursuit qualifications. Chloe Levins (Williston, VT/Unaffiliated), Grace Castonguay (Jackson, NH/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), and Margie Freed (Apple Valley, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) fell out of pursuit qualification in 83rd, 84th, and 92nd, respectively. 

The following day’s men’s 10km sprint saw all four U.S. men qualify for the pursuit. Jake Brown (St. Paul, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) led the team with his season-best result of 26th, shooting a near perfect nine for ten. Sean Doherty (Conway, NH/Army World Class Athlete Program) followed suit in 47th, Campbell Wright (Wanaka, NZL/Waiorau Nordic Skiing) in 55th, and Maxime Germain (Chamonix-Mont Blanc, FRA/National Guard Biathlon) in 58th. 

“I was really happy with my shooting today,” said Brown after the sprint. “It’s been a couple years since I’ve been in the top 30 so to be back, it feels good. I know I’ve put in a lot of work with my teammates this off season and I felt like it hadn't totally come together in my individual races, so to have something go in the right direction is really satisfying, especially at this point in the season.”

Irwin kicked off day three wearing bib 47 in the women’s pursuit. Her best four-stage shooting performance in Antholz, Irwin climbed 13 positions to finish 34th overall. Later in the day, the U.S. men’s relay team was on the hunt for results after the 16th place finish in Ruhpolding. Despite beginning the race with a penalty loop, Germain fought his way back from the last position by exchange one. Wright put together a flawless performance, needing no spare rounds and claiming the second-best performance in his leg of the race. Doherty and Brown both pulled together solid performances to place the team in ninth. 

The final day of racing saw the team of Irwin, Levins, Castonguay, and Freed toe the line for the women’s 4x6km relay. The cold, wet conditions made for a slick course and Irwin took a fall on a tricky corner - she was able to finish her leg of the race and emerged unscathed aside from a bruised hip. Levins and Castonguay made it through their respective shooting stages using just five spare rounds between them, however, were unable to out ski the dominant Norwegian and Swedish teams.

Rounding out the weekend with the men’s 12km pursuit, Germain led the U.S. team results, missing just one shot on the day to jump 31 positions from bin 55 to finish 26th. Brown followed in 28th, his second top-30 result of the weekend, posting an 18th overall ski time. Brown’s two top 30 results have him currently sitting 54th in the World Cup Overall rankings with 28 points. Wright, despite four misses on the range, jumped 15 positions to finish 40th, and Doherty jumped three positions to cross the line in 44th. 

The team will now take time off from racing to rest and recuperate before reconvening back in Antholz for the 2025 pre-World Championships camp which will run from January 31 to February 9. The full World Championships roster will be announced on February 1.