World Cup 7 Concludes with Stellar Women’s Relay Performance

Despite the uptick in illness amongst the U.S. Biathlon Team and difficult racing conditions in Nove Mesto na Morave, CZE, those who competed at World Cup 7 pulled together exceptional performances over the four-day race weekend. The weekend saw temperatures climb as high as 66 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius) during the day, forcing later start times. The team’s perseverance and adaptability was evident with three top 25 individual results, and a season best relay performance. 

Highlighting the weekend was Sunday’s U.S. women’s 4x6km relay performance, the best finish since the 2024 Oberhof World Cup. Deedra Irwin (Pulaski, WI/Army World Class Athlete Program) led the quartet, needing just five spare rounds total and holding the best course time of the first relay leg to tag off in sixth place. Chloe Levins (Williston, VT/Unaffiliated) shined on the range, shooting a perfect 10 for 10 to hold the seventh position heading into leg three. Lucinda Anderson (Golden Valley, MN/Team Birkie), in just her third relay, made three laps around the penalty loop, but held the seventh overall course time of her leg to keep the team in it, tagging off in 16th. Margie Freed (Apple Valley, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) nailed her job as anchor leg, needing just one spare round in standing to move up one position and secure the 15th place result for the team. 

Earlier in the week, Campbell Wright (Wanaka, NZL/Waiorau Nordic Skiing) was the sole U.S. male to compete in Nove Mesto as his teammates focused on recovery from illness. In the men’s sprint, Wright pulled together a perfect 10 for 10 on the range and held a top 20 ski time to finish ninth overall, just +38.7 back from the leader. 

Irwin led the U.S. women in the 6km sprint, racing to 23rd overall with just one miss in standing, solidifying a pursuit qualification and her top sprint result this season. Both Levins and Anderson fell out of pursuit contention in 74th and 93rd, respectively. Freed did not start the women’s sprint. 

Saturday’s men’s pursuit saw Wright battle through the early afternoon sun, hitting 16 for 20 targets and holding the ninth overall ski time to cross the finish line where he started in ninth place. In the women’s pursuit, Irwin, despite six misses on the range, kept up the 29th overall ski time to finish 44th on the day. Wright now sits 16th on the men’s World Cup Total Score with 347 points and will hold on to the U23 blue bib heading into next weekend’s races. Irwin is currently in 49th on the women’s World Cup Total Score with 74 points. 

Next weekend marks the second to last race weekend of the 2024-25 World Cup season. Racing will kick off in Pokljuka, SVN with the women’s individual on Thursday, March 13, followed by the men’s individual on Friday, mixed and single mixed relays on Saturday, and both the women’s and men’s mass starts on Sunday. Racing will be live streamed on Eurovision Sport; spectator resources can be found at usbiathlon.org/spectator-resources.