World Cup Season To Begin With Single Mixed Relay, Mixed Relay in Kontiolahti
by Sara Donatello
We are down to single digits in the countdown to the first World Cup races of the season. Eight athletes have been named to the U.S. World Cup team for trimester one and will be heading south from Vuokatti, FIN to Kontiolahti, FIN to get acclimated before racing begins on Saturday, November 30.
Coming off a season of promising results followed by eight months of innovative preparation during the training season, the World Cup team brings a blend of veteran experience with a youthful kick to the first three stops in Kontiolahti, Hochfilzen, AUT, and Annecy-Le Grand Bornand, FRA. In addition to three notable first trimester stops, this season boasts the Antholz World Cup, which will act as the test event for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics, as well as the 2025 World Championships, tucked in the mountainous village of Lenzerheide, SUI.
The 2023-24 season’s promising results were highlighted by Deedra Irwin (Pulaski, WI/Army World Class Athlete Program) snagging her first top-10 result with an eighth place finish in Lenzerheide, as well as nailing down her best-ever World Championships finish, crossing the line in 11th in the women’s 15km individual. Campbell Wright (Wanaka, NZL/Wairaou Nordic Skiing) also turned heads last season with two top-10 finishes, one of which being sixth place on home snow at Soldier Hollow. With Irwin landing in 38th on the World Cup overall, and Wright in 31st, both athletes pre-qualified for the 2024-25 World Cup team.
Kelsey Dickinson (Winthrop, WA/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) earned her first World Cup points at last season’s opener in Oestersund, SWE. Battling illness throughout the racing season, Dickinson powered through the training season and landed on the podium in both the sprint and mass start at the 2024 International Team Trials to be the second woman pre-qualified for the 2024-25 World Cup team. Joining Irwin and Dickinson on the World Cup are Grace Castonguay (Jackson, NH/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) and Margie Freed (Apple Valley, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project). Both Castonguay and Freed made their World Cup debuts last season, Freed in Oestersund and Castonguay in Hochfilzen. Freed also claimed her first World Cup points and qualified for her first pursuit on home snow at Soldier Hollow with a 32nd place finish in the women’s sprint.
World Cup veterans Sean Doherty (Conway, NH/Army World Class Athlete Program) and Jake Brown (St. Paul, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), along with the 21-year-old Maxime Germain (Chamonix-Mont Blanc, FRA/National Guard Biathlon), join Wright to make up the men’s World Cup team for trimester one. Wright, Doherty and Brown were all part of the four-man men’s relay team that clinched an historic fifth place finish at the 2024 World Championships and fourth place at Soldier Hollow. With the addition of Germain this season, we are sure to have exciting men’s relays in Kontiolahti and Hochfilzen to get the ball rolling.
“The season is just around the corner and we hope that the hard work athletes and staff have done will pay off,” said U.S. Biathlon World Cup Head Coach Armin Auchentaller. “We will work to pursue excellence with a positive attitude, great discipline, and most importantly having fun along the way. Tune in and cheer for us this season!”
Racing will begin with the single mixed relay and mixed relay races on November 30 in Kontiolahti. Click HERE to view spectator resources, including how to watch, race disciplines, selection criteria, team rosters and more.
World Cup 1 - Kontiolahti, FIN
Saturday, November 30
Single Mixed Relay 07:15 EST // 14:15 EET
Mixed Relay 09:45 EST // 16:45 EET
Sunday, December 01
M 4x7.5km Relay 07:45 EST // 14:45 EET
W 4x6km Relay 11:25 EST // 18:25 EET
Tuesday, December 03
M 15km Individual 10:20 EST // 17:20 EET
Wednesday, December 04
W 12.5km Individual 10:20 EST // 17:20 EET
Friday, December 06
M 10km Sprint 10:20 EST // 17:20 EET
Saturday, December 07
W 7.5km Sprint 10:20 EST // 17:20 EET
Sunday, December 08
M 15km Mass Start 08:30 EST // 15:30 EET
W 12.5km Mass Start 11:10 EST // 18:25 EET