Campbell Wright became the fifth American to win an individual medal in the history of the World Biathlon Championships, taking the money in the 10 km sprint on Saturday in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.
Wright, a 22-year-old man who was born and grew up in New Zealand of parents born in the United States, took a finalist of the Norwegian Johannes Thingnes Bø.
“I think that is what each child dreams of, and I always consider myself a little a child, and I always dreamed of that,” said Wright, who grew up The snow farm In Wanaka and started Biathlon in 2016. “I expected that perhaps in my career in the late 20s, 30s.”
Bø, a 31 year old man who plans to retire after this seasonwon his 21st gold medal for the world’s world championships to break his equality with the retired countrymanman Ole Einar Bjørndalen for most of the history of biathlon.
Bø pulled clean and prevailed by 27.7 seconds on Wright, who also pulled clean to beat the French Quentin Fillon Maillet, who had a penalty in the lying, for Silver of 9.3 seconds.
Wright has become the youngest American biathlete to win an individual world championship medal. The previous individual medalists were Josh Thompson (Silver, 1987), Tim Burke (Silver, 2013), Lowell Bailey (Gold, 2017) and Susan Dunklee (Silver, 2017 and 2020).
The first American podium in the history of the world biathlon championship came to the women’s relay in 1984, a bronze.
The United States has never won an Olympic biathlon Olympic medal.
By finishing in the top six, Wright is now able to be the first biathlete to qualify for the American Olympic team of 2026, if no other American ends among the first six of the remaining individual events in the worlds.
Wright ranked 32nd and 75th in two Olympic events in 2022 while competing for New Zealand as only a teenage male biathlete to these games.
Wright, a double citizen, then moved to Lake Placid, New York, and changed his performance in the United States in 2023. He cited increased access to financial resources and equipment.
Wright progressed while representing the United States, placing the 11, 12th, 18th and 20th in four individual events at the 2024 World Championships. On December 6, he ranked fourth during the second race of the Cup world of season.
