Campbell Wright Becomes First American to Claim U23 Globe
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by Sara Donatello
Campbell Wright (Wanaka, NZL/Waiorau Nordic Skiing) has been a U23 globe contender from the start. After 21 individual World Cup competitions, Wright has accrued 455 points to secure himself as the top U23 male athlete in the world, a historic feat as the first American athlete to win the U23 globe, and the first athlete to sport a colored bib since Tim Burke’s stint in yellow in 2009.
“Campbell has seen his hard work pay off with two historic medals at World Championships and now the U23 globe,” said U.S. Biathlon World Cup Head Coach Armin Auchentaller. “He is a prototype of a committed athlete who understands hard and consistent work, and has shown the world that competing against Europeans is not a miracle, it is possible and we can do it.”
Wright’s closest competitor, Ukraine’s Vitalii Mandzyn, began the season wearing the U23 blue bib with solid performances in Kontiolahti, FIN, including a fourth place finish in the men’s short individual. However, it didn’t take long for Wright to surpass Mandzyn on the World Cup Total Score, claiming the blue bib the following weekend in Hochfilzen, AUT with his 10th place finish in the men’s sprint. Since December 13, 2024, Wright has not let the blue bib slip from his grasp.
It has been a breakthrough season for Wright with a flower ceremony appearance in fourth place in Kontiolahti, and five additional top ten finishes in Hochfilzen, Oberhof, Nove Mesto na Morave, and Oslo. Though not included in World Cup overall points, Wright also collected two historic silver medals at the 2025 World Championships in Lenzerheide - the first U.S. athlete to medal in a pursuit event and first to double medal at a World Championships - and culminated the two weeks in Lenzerheide with a fourth place finish in the men’s mass start.
“I hope that this globe is a source of motivation for everyone on the U.S. team,” added Auchentaller. “It is a sign that the system is working, and it should be an inspiration for everyone who does biathlon in the U.S., showing that it’s possible to be successful in a traditionally European sport. There is always room for improvement and we are learning every day, but wins like this show that things are working well.”
Not only is Wright entering the upcoming training season with a collection of hardware from his breakthrough season, but he pre-qualified for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games under U.S. Biathlon’s pre-qualification standard*. The future is bright for U.S. Biathlon as the team now looks ahead to the Olympic year and beyond.
*Note that this is a nomination. An athlete can only be officially named to an Olympic team by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
