This weekend marked the first time in five years Soldier Hollow has been home to the World Cup. Thousands gathered to watch as over 250 athletes from across the globe competed for the podium.
Soldier Hollow general manager Luke Bodensteiner said the World Cup’s return to Wasatch County was “flawless.”
“It’s been outstanding to bring it back,” he said. “The atmosphere out here was just electric yesterday.”
The races yielded good results for American competitors. Local athlete Vincent Bonacci, from Salt Lake City, led the American men’s relay team to a fourth-place finish Saturday, March 9. He said it’s the team’s best relay finish since the 1980s.
“It was really fun to be able to do it in front of a home crowd,” Bonacci said. “And it was really fun to have all the cheering all around the course for Team U.S.A., especially because this is my home venue where I did my first ever ski race a ton of years ago.”
Bonacci said he’s enjoyed racing against the world’s best athletes here in Utah.
“Seeing these people that I’ve either idolized as athletes or I race against them internationally… is a crazy feeling,” he said.
Norway won both the men’s and the women’s relays. France and Norway dominated the sprints; American Wright Campbell placed 6th on the men’s side. Campbell was also the top American in the men’s pursuit Sunday afternoon, where he placed 14th.
Bodensteiner said the weekend’s World Cup gives him confidence Soldier Hollow is well-equipped to host the world’s best athletes again in 2034.
“We know we can run an Olympic Games,” he said, “and it’s really good to put it to the test this weekend.”
The next IBU World Cup begins Thursday in Canada. For complete results from this weekend’s races, visit the IBU website.
