GRP Biathlon: 2025 World Championships
The 2025 IBU BMW World Championships proved to be an unforgettable event for the USA, ending a multi-year medal drought and giving hope for the future that the “last first Olympic medal” might finally be within the USA’s grasp. Taking place within the beautiful Swiss Alps in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, the races brought beautiful sun and warm, wet snow conditions that made ski selection critical to race outcome.
Three GRP Sprigs qualified for the US World Championship Team: Jake Brown, Grace Castonguay, and Margie Freed. All three athletes had been racing in the previous World Cup trimesters and qualified for the event either by discretion (Jake) or objective (Grace and Margie) selection based on their previous World Cup results.
The races covered a span of two weeks, consisting of the Mixed Relay, Single Mixed Relay, full-gender Relays, and Sprint, Pursuit, Individual, and Mass Start competitions. These races comprise the entirety of the World Cup menu offered throughout the year.
The first individual-start competition was the Women’s Sprint. Margie was the only GRPer to race. Because of how the WCH starts were allocated, only four of the five US women could start in any given race and Grace was later given a start in the Individual. Chloe Levins and Luci Anderson would be the top US women of the day in 52nd and 56th in the Sprint. Margie ended up just outside the top-60 in 64th, right behind Deedra Irwin in 63rd. Only the top-60 would go on to race the Women’s Pursuit.
In the Men’s Sprint, Jake faced a similar situation to Grace and did not receive a start, having the opportunity to race later in the Individual. Both the Men’s Sprint and Pursuit proved to be historic for the US, with US athlete Campbell Wright placing 2nd in not one, but both races behind Noway’s biathlon legend Johannes Thingnes Bøe. The last World Championship medal that the US had won was in 2020 by former GRP member Susan Dunklee, who earned a silver medal in the Sprint in Antholz, Italy.
Craftsbury-based GRP training partner Sean Doherty who placed 41st in the Sprint, reflecting on the race, said, “we had a super fair course for the Sprint, which meant that the snow conditions didn’t really change much throughout the race for all starters. As I was getting to my start, I saw Campbell clean [hit all five targets] standing, but he hadn’t been on TV that much. It was then that I knew that he was having a good race. It was super cool to see him end up in second place on the podium, that was amazing for the team. I was happy with the shooting in my race where I shot 1-0, but I made it into the Pursuit which gave me another opportunity to go for it in the next race.”
After a few days off, the next race up was the Women’s Individual. Grace was the only GRP athlete to start, placing 77th. Deedra would go on to be the top US athlete in 29th. Of the Individual, Grace said, “I was super thrilled to have the opportunity to race it and partake in my first World Champs. I enjoy the track at Lenzerheide, especially after having spent two weeks training there this summer with the US National Team. While the race did not meet my personal expectations, the atmosphere was phenomenal, and I enjoyed cheering on my teammates who had exceptional races. Overall, I feel fortunate to have partaken in the week and share in the joy of my teammates’ successes.”
In the Men’s Individual 3 of the 4 US men placed close together in the top-30: Campbell 23rd, Paul Schommer 24th, and Jake 25th. Having three athletes in the top-30 like this is an encouraging sign for the depth of the US Men’s Team, showing that many of the athletes are capable of achieving top results similar to Campbell’s 2nd place.
Finally, Margie and Jake would go on to race the two all-gender relays. The men went on to place 9th and women 19th. France topped the podium in both relays. None of the Sprigs raced in either the Mixed or Single-Mixed Relays, which placed 19th and 16th, respectively, for the US.
Racing continues after a week break for Period 3. The World Cup will travel to Nove Mesto Na Morave, Czech Republic, Pokljuka, Slovenia, and Oslo, Norway for the final races of the season. The IBU Cup will have two weeks of racing in Otëpaa, Estonia as the conclusion to their season.
Grace and Margie on course for the Men’s Pursuit
Jake cooking up dinner between races
Grace and Margie in the Lenzerheide stadium