Campbell Wright: Silver Rush

Two weeks after he made history at the BMW IBU World Championships with a pair of silver medals, U.S. biathlete Campbell Wright reflected on his accomplishments. Heartbeat caught up with Campbell relaxing in his hotel room at Nové Město, mentally preparing for the resumption of the BMW IBU World Cup.

“Yeah, that was a pretty cool two weeks,” he said said with a grin!

At the World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, Wright took silver in the sprint then backed it up the next day with silver in the pursuit. It was the first double medal for the U.S. men in history.

Wright talked about how he approached the day just like any other. “I never had any expectations going into any race because that just leads to failure and disappointment,” he said. “And bad things every single time. So, no expectations as always. And, yeah, it's a good way to set yourself up for success.”

In the Heartbeat interview, Wright recapped both races – where he found strengths, and where he found challengers. In the sprint, he shot clean, and had only one miss in four shootings in the pursuit.

In the sprint, he ran well before some of the race favorites, so he had to endure a wait in the finish before he knew the outcome – with the top 15 biathletes in the world starting behind him. But one thing he knew from the start – he was happy with his performance.

“It kind of sunk in when Fillon Maillet crossed the line, and he was behind me,” he said. “That's when I was like, ‘oh yeah, okay. Yeah, you've done well here, Campbell!’”

With the pursuit the next day, there was little time for celebration. It was a surreal experience for Wright starting second. He missed one shot in the first shooting, but was clean the rest of the way. Still, it was a battle to the finish to hold onto the silver medal.

Despite having just joined the U.S. Biathlon Team two years ago, the historic moment was not lost on him. Most of all, he spoke of what it meant for him to be on a list with his childhood heroes, Tim Burke and Lowell Bailey. Burke took silver in 2013 at Nové Město, while Bailey won gold at Hochfilzen in 2017.

“I started watching biathlon or getting to become familiar with biathlon when Tim and Lowell were really in their heyday,” said Wright. “I don't think I'm there career-wise, but on the medal tally it says I am. But in real life, I still don't think I can compare my career to those guys.”

Campbell Wright really opens up in this episode of Heartbeat. He showcases his motivations, philosophies as an athlete, and the vital importance of the support he has had from U.S. Biathlon to help him get there.