HOCHFILZEN, Austria – University of Vermont skiing alum Lowell Bailey '05 made history by becoming the first American to ever win a biathlon world championship in a thrilling finish on Thursday.
 
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Bailey completed the 20K race in 48:07.4 and was a perfect 20-for-20 in shooting. Team USA had previously earned two silver medals and a bronze medal in past championships, which date back to 1958.
 
At last weekend's International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup in Italy, Bailey became the first American male athlete – of any sport – to qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics with a sixth-place finish. Bailey has earned a trip to his fourth career Winter Olympic Games.
 
Bailey, a UVM Athletics Class of 2015 Hall of Fame inductee, placed second in two successive NCAA Championships and was a three-time All-American for the Catamounts. In six career NCAA races, he finished in the top-10 all six times and helped Vermont to an NCAA national runner-up finish as a senior in 2005. In 11 races on the 2005 EISA circuit, Bailey won five times and finished second five times.

He was also a three-time NCAA Academic All-American, becoming just the second UVM skier to earn the honor. Bailey has competed in three Olympic Winter Games as a member of the U.S. Biathlon Team and made American history in 2014 by finishing eighth in the 20K individual pursuit in Sochi, Russia. He has also competed in three Junior World Championships and seven World Championships for the U.S.