The head coach of the US biathlon team, Armin Augenthaler, has resigned at the end of the Olympic season after the American biathletes finished the 2026 Olympics without a medal.
Augenthaler began his career with the U.S. national team in 2009, coaching the men's team. He then coached the Swiss women's team from 2014 to 2018 before returning to coach the U.S. women's team. He took over the men's and women's teams after the previous men's coach stepped down following the 2022 Olympics.
However, after the 2026 Olympics, Augenthaler announced that he was stepping down due to “unsatisfactory” results at the Games. The best individual result for the US biathlon team was an eighth place in the pursuit, which was won by Campbell Wright. In the team competitions, the American helped win fifth place in the men's relay. Among biathletes, Margie Fried finished highest in the “individual”, taking 21st place.
At the 2026 Games, three of the eight biathletes from the United States qualified for the men's pursuit event – Wright, Paul Schomer and Deidra Irwin – but none for the women. Wright was also the only member of the US mass start team.
In total, during the Olympic season, the Americans won only one medal at the World Cup stages – Campbell Wright won the “silver” mass start in Novo Mesto.
“As I step down from my role with the U.S. Biathlon Team after 13 years, I do so with a full heart and deep gratitude. For me, this has never been just a job, it has been a shared mission, a daily responsibility, and a journey that has challenged me and shaped me into who I will continue to be,” ESPN quoted Auchenthaler as saying.
Jack Gearhart, CEO of the US biathlon team, said Augenthaler “created something that lasts forever” during his tenure, while Joanne Reed, a member of the US women's team, said the merger of the men's and women's teams had a negative impact on the results.
“This trend has been evident in coaching cycles throughout the program's history, not just in one Olympic cycle. Managing two teams of different genders on the same training schedule means that one of them is receiving suboptimal training,” Reed noted.
At the 2026 Olympics, the United States finished second in the medal standings with 33 awards (12 gold) in eleven sports.