This would be quite the feat on Tuesday.
Why Campbell Wright switched from New Zealand to U.S., and how he can make medal history in biathlon at Olympics originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Campbell Wright has a chance to make history for the United States on Tuesday.
A U.S. athlete has never won a medal at the Winter Olympics in the biathlon. Wright could do it.
The event gets underway at 7:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, which is early afternoon in Italy.
Wright's story isn't simple, though. He actually competed at the 2022 Olympics for New Zealand.
So it's been a fascinating shift for Wright to have a chance to claim a medal for the U.S.
MORE: Ilia Malinin's backflip doesn't count for points, but he does it anyway
Why did Campbell Wright switch from New Zealand to the United States?
Wright's parents were born in the United States, and that's what allowed him to make the nationality switch.
He himself was born in New Zealand and grew up there.
Wright was a cross-country skiier and shifted to biathlon in his teenage years after spending some time in Europe, the home base of the sport.
He won gold at the Junior World Championships in 2023 in the sprint biathlon.
MORE: Jutta Leerdam, Jake Paul share golden moment with tears of joy
Wright had a problem, though. He was the only biathlete competing internationally for New Zealand, which came with infrastructural challenges.
Because he had the chance to change thanks to his parents' birthplace, Wright went for it officially beginning in 2023.
He got the support and resources he needed, according to Pro XC Skiing.
Now, he's one of the best chances to win a biathlon medal that the U.S. has ever had.
More Olympics news:
- This U.S. luge star was parodied on SNL
- NBC's drone cameras have everyone's attention
- The Winter Olympics mascots are adorable
- Mike Tirico had a crazy flight to get from the Super Bowl to the Olympics
- Chloe Kim has to make an adjustment at Olympics for injury
- Breezy Johnson won a gold medal for the U.S., and then she broke it
Category: General Sports
