Biathlete Campbell Wright has delivered one of the best performances of his career in his Olympic debut in the men’s 20km individual race.
The youngest competitor at 19 years old, Wright proved he was capable of footing it with the world's best by finishing 32nd out of 92 competitors, just 4m 12.4s behind the winner.
The Wanaka native shot fantastically on the range, hitting 18 of his 20 targets.
"That was the second-best score I've shot in an individual," Wright said after his race. "Today was a good day.
"I feel really good. I'm really happy with that performance and can't wait for more Olympic racing."
Wright will also feature in the men's 10km sprint on Saturday and the men's 12.5km pursuit on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Kiwi speed skater Peter Michael returned to the track, but struggled in his men's 1500m final race.
Michael was the first athlete of the 31-strong field to compete, skating solo rather than in pairs, which meant he had no slipstream to benefit from.
But the Palmerston North product still posted a respectable time of 1m 48.68s to finish 26th.
"I went out there and gave it everything I had," says Michael. "Unfortunately, that wasn't enough tonight, but I'm going to reset and prepare for my next race."
Michael will contest the 10,000m on Friday.
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