2024-25 Youth and Junior Season Concludes with World Championships in Östersund

After eight days and 18 competitions in Östersund, SWE, the 2024-25 youth and junior international racing season comes to a close. This past week, the U.S. Biathlon Team saw four international racing debuts, four top 25 individual finishes, six personal bests, speedy skis and solid range performances at the 2025 Youth and Junior World Championships. 

Racing kicked off on February 26th with the youth individuals. The U.S. youth women were led by Reine Soule (Anchorage, AK/Anchorage Biathlon), who raced to 65th in her debut race, despite missing seven targets. Brenna Barton (Bozeman, MT/Crosscut Mountain Sports Center) followed closely behind in 67th with four misses on the day. Also in her debut race, Sarah Hottle (Heber, UT/Team Soldier Hollow) crossed the line in 80th with four misses, and Megan Lemoine (Palo Alto, CA/Auburn Ski Club) rounded out the youth women in 94th. 

Reflecting on her first international racing experience, Soule said, “I thought it was really fun overall! The races were fun, the coaches made it super enjoyable, and of course my teammates made it super fun. The course in Östersund was a lot like my home course in Anchorage, so it was helpful for my race strategies. The snow conditions were pretty slushy the first few days and pretty sticky the last day, but overall the course conditions were good.”

Later in the day, the U.S. youth men toed the line for their individual race. John Lohuis (Anchorage, AK/Biathlon Alaska) claimed the top U.S. result of the day in 19th with just three misses overall. Eric Anderson (Frontenac, MN/Bluff Country Biathlon) told the IBU ahead of the race that he would be aiming for a top 30 finish, which he delivered swiftly in 22nd, hitting 18 of 20 targets. Elias Soule (Anchorage, AK/Anchorage Biathlon Club), brother of Reine Soule, raced to 43rd overall, despite six misses. Thomas Van De Kamp (Salt Lake City, UT/Team Soldier Hollow) made his debut in the individual and finished 97th overall. 

“It was also really fun that my brother was here with me,” added R. Soule. “I hadn’t seen him in months, so it was good to see him. I was sad that we didn’t get to do the relay together, but I still enjoyed racing and having him here and supporting each other during the races. Overall, it was a great experience!” 

The following day, the U.S. junior athletes raced their individuals with Aidan Sands (Mazama, WA/Team Altius) holding the top U.S. finish of the day in 60th. Closely following Sands was Thor Sheppard (West Yellowstone, MT/Team Altius) and Nathan Livingood (Bethel, ME/Crosscut Mountain Sports Center) in 62nd and 63rd, respectively. Linus Arstad (Trondheim, NOR/Trondheim Biathlon Team) made his international debut in 83rd. 

Alexandra Rud (Oslo, NOR/Duluth Biathlon) held the top result amongst the U.S. junior women in 64th. Trailing Rud by just three positions was Mirra Payson (Lexington, MA/HSC Massachusetts Biathlon) in 67th. Haley Finch (Anchorage, AK/Alaska Winter Stars) crossed the line in 73rd, and Virginia Cobb (Westford, VT/Ethan Allen Biathlon Club) finished 84th overall. 

Rud, Payson, Sheppard, and Sands teamed up for the junior mixed relay on February 28th. Rud had a solid first leg, using just one spare round in each shooting stage to tag off to Payson in 18th. Payson followed suit, cleaning her prone stage and using three spares in standing, to avoid the penalty lap. Sheppard, with the top shooting performance of the team, cleaned his prone stage and needed just one spare round to knock down the five targets in standing. Sands battled as the anchor leg, pushing his limits on skis to cross the line in 19th, despite one trip around the penalty loop. 

E. Soule highlighted the youth sprint with a stellar personal best 12th place in the field of 116 athletes. Lohuis followed in 54th, with three misses in standing. Anderson crossed the line in 71st, followed by Van De Kamp with a personal best 85th. On the youth women’s side, Barton led in 61st, shooting a near perfect nine for ten. R. Soule, with four misses on the day, raced to 75th. Lemoine finished 80th overall, with Hottle landing 94th. 

Junior sprint day saw Rud race to the top U.S. result in 57th, despite three misses. Cobb followed in 62nd, Payson in 70th, and Finch in 88th. On the junior men’s side, Sands crossed the line 63rd overall, followed closely by Livingood and Sheppard in 67th and 68th. Arstad snagged his personal best 75th place in the junior men’s sprint. 

The U.S. saw three athletes compete in the youth men’s mass start 60. Lohuis raced to 15th, his second top 20 result of Youth World Championships and personal best result. E. Soule followed in 33rd overall, despite five misses out of 20, and Anderson rounded out the group in 44th.  

“Racing internationally last year definitely gave me a lot more confidence heading into this year's World Championships,” said Lohuis. “It also gave me a much better understanding of the routines and small but important details that come with racing at a high level. I’ve never skied in Östersund before, but I really enjoy racing the course here. There is a lot of climbing, and fun technical downhills, which I think suited my racing style well.” 

The U.S. youth men’s trio of Lohuis, Soule, and Anderson raced to a stellar 10th place in the 3x7.5km relay. Lohuis kicked things off with the fifth fastest course time of his leg, shooting a perfect 10 for 10 to tag off in fourth place. Soule kept the momentum going, needing just one spare round in each shooting stage. Anderson anchored the team, using four spares total and avoiding the penalty loop to secure the top 10 finish. 

A solid showing for Team USA to wrap up an exciting youth and junior racing season. The athletes now head home for a much deserved rest period to continue training and prepare for the upcoming U.S. Biathlon Spring Festival at Crosscut Mountain Sports Center in Bozeman, MT!