GRP Biathlon: Kontiolahti and Lake Placid
Post-olympics racing picked up again in the last few weeks with the GRP biathletes continuing competition on both the World and IBU Cups.
World Cup
GRPer and 2026 Olympian Margie Freed returned to World Cup action in Kontiolahti, Finland with individual and relay competitions. Margie placed 41st in the individual, cleaning (no misses) 3 out of 4 stages but missing 3 shots in her 2nd shooting bout. In the women’s relay, Margie was the U.S. team’s 2nd leg. She was tagged off to in 11th place, 39 seconds back and remained in 11th place throughout her leg. She cleaned prone from the magazine but had to use all 3 of her spares to avoid the penalty loop in standing.
The World Cup picks back up in Otepaa, Estonia with the men’s sprint on March 12 and the women’s sprint on March 13.
World Cup results
*All WC races can be live-streamed for free on Eurovision after creating a free account
*You can also follow both the World and IBU Cups via the Official IBU App
IBU Cup
The IBU Cup finished its season with home racing for the American athletes in Lake Placid, New York. GPers Jake Brown, Bjorn Westervelt, Kelsey Dickinson, and Jackie Garso competed in the 2-week long event.
The competition started with short individual racing in which Jake placed 31st, Kelsey 47th, Jackie 48th, and Bjorn DNS due to sickness. Jake then returned found some oomph in the legs, racing to 7th in the following 10k sprint with 2 total misses. That gave him good starting position in the following pursuit in which he finished 8th. Bjorn went 41st in the sprint then showed more of his pursuit strength racing to 25th in the 4 stage race. Jake’s strong performances earned him World Cup starts for the next two World Cup weekends in Oteppa and Oslo.
Kelsey cleaned the sprint, placing 37th with Jackie in 47th. Kelsey went 19/20 in the pursuit, moving up to 30th place! Jackie missed 2 shots in her first shooting and then was lapped out of competition.
Jake Brown
“Lake Placid IBU cup was a great event. It was the first “home” IBU cup for any of us and the first international biathlon event for our generation, so it was special simply to be a part of it. It was also neat to get to be a host for once to our European friends and competitors, and I was stoked that everyone I talked to really enjoyed the racing and general experience here in the US.”
“Our team had some solid racing. Our men’s team was able to complete our goal of finishing the season in the top ten of the IBU Cup nations cup and earn a fifth start spot for next year’s team. Our relay teams put on a show the last day for the home crowd and made things entertaining. I was stoked to have my best personal results of the season on home soil in front of family and friends. That was special. We also had more Americans working on our staff with waxing and coaching than usual, which gave our team more of an at-home feel, even helping other nations like Australia, Belgium, and Lithuania.”
Kelsey Dickinson
“The IBU Cups were super fun and the crew in Lake Placid pulled off a really professional event despite some challenging snow conditions. It was really fun to see everyone who came to watch the race and we felt so supported by everyone cheering for the US out there when we typically don’t have that many fans when we are racing in Europe.”
The 2nd week of competition began with more sprints in which Jackie placed 48th, Kelsey 52nd, Jake 21st, and Bjorn 53rd. In the mass start 60 event Kelsey rated to 33rd place, Jackie 48th, Jake 12th, and Bjorn 35th. The final day of competition saw Kelsey and Jackie racing in the mixed relay event. While they put in strong performances leading the team to 7th place, the team ended up lapped on a day with tough conditions that dramatically spread the field.
This completes the 2025/2026 IBU Cup season. The U.S. men’s team ended the season in 10th place on the nation’s cup list which means they gain an additional start spot (5 athletes) for next season! The women finished in 12th. Thanks for cheering for our Cedar Sprigs!