The young athlete from Wanaka, New Zealand, has already accomplished what many dream of, and his journey continues to evolve as he takes on new challenges with Team USA. For those less familiar, Wright first turned heads on the global biathlon scene in November 2021, becoming only the second teenager ever to earn World Cup points. Since then, his career has been a series of firsts, including becoming the first Southern Hemisphere athlete to win a medal in biathlon after his victory in the 2023 Junior World Championships.

From NZ to USA

Reflecting on his roots, Wright shared, “I grew up in the lovely town of Wanaka in the South Island of NZL. Easy place to fall in love with XC skiing, which eventually brought me to biathlon.” However, the realities of pursuing elite sport in a country with limited biathlon infrastructure forced a pivotal decision. In July 2023, he officially joined the U.S. Biathlon Team, a move he made after carefully weighing his options. “My reason to switch to compete for the US is because of the lack of support in NZL. Not through any fault of NZ biathlons but with the budget they have, it’s impossible to send full wax teams, coaches, and organize training camps and races,” Wright explained. “USA offered this, so I had to put my career in front of my national pride.”

Transitioning to Team USA brought a host of new experiences, but Wright described the shift as remarkably seamless. “Swapping to USA was surprisingly really smooth. I had to do nothing; everything was done for me,” he said. The team atmosphere has been another positive, with Wright quickly finding his place among a group of athletes he describes as “a good group of guys.” While the training philosophy with the U.S. team is markedly different from what he was used to, Wright has learned to trust the process. “After last season, I trust what I’m doing,” he remarked, emphasizing the benefit of having teammates to share experiences with, both on and off the trails.

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The Season Ahead

Of course, one of the hardest sacrifices has been time away from home. This past year was particularly tough, as it marked the first time Wright skipped the New Zealand winter. “Getting back to NZL doesn’t really happen as much as I would like,” he admitted. “This was the first year I didn’t go back for the kiwi winter, which was a bit bittersweet, but I enjoyed my first European summer.” With long stretches away from Wanaka becoming a norm, he’s adapted, having been accustomed to extended periods of travel and competition from a young age. His makeshift summer base this year was Toblach, Italy, but he laughed about not truly having a permanent home: “I pretty much spent every month of this summer in a different place.”

As for what’s ahead, Wright’s approach remains refreshingly pragmatic. Despite having one of his best seasons yet, he’s not one for flashy changes or drastic new strategies. “I have no plans on doing anything extra to level up,” he shared. “I really don’t believe in a ‘silver bullet’ for becoming better. Just same old meat and potatoes training, and then race to the best of my ability wherever that is.”

Yet, that’s not to say he lacks ambition. His goals for the upcoming season are significant, especially with the Olympic year drawing closer. Winning the blue bib, awarded to the top Under-23 athlete, is on his radar. But even more important for Wright is the commitment to improvement. “More just being better than I was last year,” he said. “Working on not being stagnant, kinda contradictory to just doing the same training as last year, but that’s my idea. Probably not perfect, but I’ll figure out if it’s working in a few months.”

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