He made headlines at the biathlon World Championships last winter, surprising everyone with two silver medals. Now he has been named the US Male Athlete of the Year for 2025.

There is good reason to keep an eye on the 22-year-old who left both experts and competitors in awe last winter.

Campbell Wright comes from Wanaka, New Zealand, but holds dual citizenship and competes for the USA. He made his World Cup debut in 2021, but it was this past winter that marked his breakthrough. At the sprint in the World Championships in Lenzerheide, he shot clean and skied incredibly fast to claim silver.

The day after, he followed up with another silver in the pursuit, both times only beaten by Johannes Thingnes Bø.

Read More – Wright on target: Campbell Wright wins double silver at IBU World Championships

In addition to his two World Championship silvers, Wright won the U23 World Cup overall and finished 17th in the overall World Cup standings.

Now Campbell Wright has been named the US Male Athlete of the Year for 2025. The award was presented during a ceremony at Soldier Hollow in Utah, USA, over the weekend.

On the women’s side, Deedra Irwin was named Female Athlete of the Year for the third consecutive time.

According to a press release from US Biathlon, Deedra rounded out her 2024/25 season ranked 58th on the overall World Cup points list. Season highlights include shooting clean in the Kontiolahti short individual for a season-best 15th place finish, shooting clean again in the Annecy-Le Grand Bornand pursuit to move from 41st to 22nd, and teaming up with Campbell Wright for a 5th place single mixed relay finish in Pokljuka, just 9 seconds from the podium.

The biathlon World Cup season starts in Östersund from November 29 to December 7. Norway has already selected seven athletes for the season’s opening event.

Also Read: Seven Norwegian biathletes named for World Cup opener

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Early start in October

The international biathlon season kicks off earlier, from October 18 to 20, with a brand-new kickoff event: the Loop One Festival in Munich.

IBU launched the festival with big ambitions this winter. The goal is to gather the entire world elite for a spectacular show and bring the sport closer to the public with a city-center event. IBU announced this with great enthusiasm in mid-January.

Also Read: Biathlon stars ready for Munich’s Loop One Festival

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