New details have emerged in the investigation into the death of Norwegian biathlete Sivert Guttorm Bakken, who was found dead in his hotel room in Lavazè, Italy, on December 24. Bakken was 27 years old and had previously been regarded as one of Norway’s most promising biathletes. According to Langrenn.com, Italian authorities discovered Bakken wearing an altitude-training mask when they arrived at the scene. The information has been confirmed by Italian police and communicated to...
At the first biathlon World Cup races of the 2025/26 season, the biathlon stadium is perched above the small city of Östersund, which is set on a lake. Wind gusts off the lake, pulsing through the stadium. The races take place under the lights, at night – which isn’t saying much. Because in December in northern Sweden, ‘night’ begins at three in the afternoon, when what little sun there might’ve been throughout the day slips...
This article was made possible through the generous support of our voluntary subscribers. If you would like to see more articles like this one–especially if you are a Biathlon fan–please support FasterSkier with a voluntary subscription. Campbell Wright might just be the United States’ greatest biathlete. Born to American parents who emigrated to New Zealand in 1993, the 23-year-old joined the U.S. team in 2023 by using his dual citizenship. Since the change, he’s...
When the first real snow falls in West Yellowstone, everything changes. The sound of car tires gives way to the swish of skis; coffee shops fill with cold hands and red cheeks; and this small Montana town of 1,100 becomes the epicenter of cross-country skiing in North America. A Small Town With a Big Nordic Heart Each Thanksgiving week, thousands of skiers descend on West Yellowstone for the Yellowstone Fall Ski Festival—an event that blends...
The International Biathlon Union is deeply saddened to learn that former Olympic and World Champion Laura Dahlmeier has passed away at the age of 31 following a tragic mountaineering accident in Pakistan. Laura was one of the greatest athletes to grace biathlon and her loss is felt deeply by everyone in biathlon, the wider German sport family and beyond. The IBU’s thoughts are with Laura’s family and friends during this very difficult time. Throughout her...
PRESS RELEASE – The International Biathlon Union (IBU) and the Biathlon Integrity Unit (BIU) welcome the decision of the Swiss Federal Tribunal to reject the appeals of former Russian biathlete Evgeny Ustyugov. These final rulings uphold the previous decisions of the IBU Anti-Doping Hearing Panel and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), confirming sanctions for anti-doping rule violations. Mr. Ustyugov was sanctioned based on abnormalities in his Athlete Biological Passport and evidence from the...
Signing up for a Master’s B race at U.S. Biathlon Nationals sounded like a fun idea when I was at my computer, a safe 2,259 miles from Bozeman, chatting with my sister on the phone. Chloe would be competing at Nationals, her final races of the season. I hadn’t seen her since she left for the World Cup in December. It was as simple as her saying, “You should do the Master’s race.” And suddenly,...
By: Sara Donatello After a historic World Championship silver medal in the men’s 10km sprint, Campbell Wright (Wanaka, NZL/Waiorau Nordic Skiing) is back on the podium in Lenzerheide, SUI with yet another silver medal in the men’s 12.5km pursuit. Missing just one target in his first prone stage, Wright went on to clean the final three stages of his race and solidify his second place position. “Yesterday after the race I was pretty hyped up,...
Campbell Wright (Wanaka, NZL/Waiorau Nordic Skiing) made history in Lenzerheide, SUI as the first U.S. male to medal in a World Championships sprint event. A perfect 10 for 10 and ninth fastest overall ski time, Wright bested 96 of 97 sprint competitors to see his first-ever World Championships podium. Crossing the line just 28 seconds behind the World Cup overall leader Johannes Thinges Boe of Norway, Wright took the second stand, with France’s Quentin Fillon-Maillet...
Midway, UT – U.S. Biathlon announced today the implementation of its Women’s Coaching Initiative, designed to increase the number, experience and visibility of female biathlon coaches in the U.S. and internationally and inspire future generations of female coaches and athletes. This new initiative, building on the coaching apprenticeship opportunities available over the past several years, will provide formal mentorship and professional development opportunities for female coaches from all Nordic backgrounds to gain biathlon coaching experience across...
Sugar Bowl Academy invites motivated U14-U20 athletes to consider joining us for amazing training and racing in sunny California. Our program offers some of the best training in North America: more than 140km of trails at Royal Gorge XC, groomed through our campus, 300+ days of sun, 480 inches of snow annually, on campus strength and conditioning coach and facilities, thousands of miles of amazing single track for biking and running, biathlon, SkiMo, mountain biking...
The Fort Kent Outdoor Center in Fort Kent, Maine, is currently accepting applications for our 2024-2025 post graduate program. The program is designed for high school graduated nordic skiers and biathletes who are hoping to take their training to the next level with year-round coached training sessions. With a 3km paved rollerski loop, full 30-point shooting range, and 25km of nordic trails in the snowiest corner of the northeast, Fort Kent provides an ideal...
Midway, Utah – The United States Biathlon Association has released the nominated members of the 2024-25 Senior National Team and 2024-25 National Development Group. While U.S. Biathlon remains committed to maintaining high standards for National Team qualification, it also is focused on providing ample opportunities for developing athletes to train and be part of a larger, collaborative team community within the sport and the development pipeline. Establishing the National Development Group is an important initiative in support...
Midway, Utah – The United States Biathlon Association released the selected members of the Junior National Team for the upcoming 2024-25 season. Junior National Team Virginia Cobb (Westford, VT/Ethan Allen Biathlon Club) Mirra Payson (Lexington, MA/HSC Biathlon) Haley Finch (Anchorage, AK/Alaska Winter Stars) Wes Campbell (Park City, UT/ Team Soldier Hollow) Thor Sheppard (West Yellowstone, MT/Team Altius) Cale Woods (Bozeman, MT/Team Crosscut) Elias Soule (Anchorage, AK/Anchorage Biathlon Club) John Lohuis (Anchorage, AK/Biathlon Alaska) “We are happy to announce the names of the exceptional athletes...
The inaugural U.S. Biathlon Collegiate National Championships took place March 22, 2024 at the Fort Kent Outdoor Center in Fort Kent, Maine, in conjunction with the 2024 U.S. Biathlon National Championships. Twelve collegiate athletes representing six colleges and universities from around the Northeast traveled to Fort Kent to race and represent their respective schools. Friday’s U.S. Nationals sprint race doubled as the Collegiate Nationals sprint race, where athlete standings were counted towards both events. Crystal...
The final weekend of BMW IBU World Cup racing wrapped up in Canmore, Alberta in the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The clear, sunny skies saw athletes transform their race suits into makeshift shorts and t-shirts, making the heat a bit more bearable for the final sprint, pursuit and mass start races of the 2023-24 season. Team USA ended the season on a high note with much to look forward to for the 2024-25...
Deedra Irwin (Pulaski, WI/Army World Class Athlete Program) rounds out this season’s pursuit races with a stellar 12th place finish, just one of two athletes in the pool of 60 to shoot a perfect 20 for 20 in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. Irwin, jumping 14 places from bib 26, crossed the line in 12th, just +1:23.1 behind the pursuit victor Lisa Vittozzi of Italy, who shot 19 for 20. “It feels amazing to shoot clean in...
Canmore is having a year. Just over a month after hosting the International Ski Federation (FIS) Cross Country World Cup, the Canmore Nordic Centre is pulling out all the stops and showcasing its brand-new biathlon facility as the host of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup Finals from Thursday, March 14 to Sunday, March 17. The world-class venue amid Canada’s Rocky Mountains is no stranger to World Cup nordic and mountain bike events. It...
Campbell Wright (Wanaka, NZL/U.S. Biathlon) rewrites his World Cup personal best for the fourth time this season at home at Soldier Hollow with a sixth place finish in the men’s 10km sprint, a ticket to his first World Cup flower ceremony. Shooting nine for ten, Wright crossed the line just 20 seconds behind the leading Frenchman Eric Perrot and seven seconds back from a podium finish. “The home World Cup has greatly exceeded my expectations,” Wright...
The men’s 4×7.5km relay kicked off the Soldier Hollow BMW IBU World Cup with the U.S. Biathlon Team racing to an historic fourth place finish, the best-ever U.S. finish on home soil in the discipline. The quartet of Vincent Bonacci (Salt Lake City, UT/Team Crosscut), Sean Doherty (Center Conway, NH/National Guard Biathlon), Campbell Wright (Wanaka, NZL/U.S. Biathlon) and Jake Brown (St. Paul, MN/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) each put on world class performances both on the...