Pidhurnyi's achievements, respect for the Norwegians, and relay race disappointments. Highlights from Oberhof.
Stage Captain
Let's kick off this year with some good news. The captain of the Ukrainian national team, Dmytro Pidruchnyi, had a fantastic stage in Oberhof, making it to the flower ceremony twice. The competition began with sprints, and in the very first race, Dmytro almost created a major sensation, but he fell just short of the podium. The Ukrainian started in the first group and quickly secured a leading position in the interim protocols.
After perfect performances at two shooting ranges and thanks to decent speed, Dmytro held onto first place for a long time. However, nearly eighty athletes were still set to start behind him, so fans had to calculate potential scenarios until the very end of the race. Initially, Emilien Jacquelin and Quentin Fillon Maillet managed to push the Ukrainian down to third place, and it seemed that no one else could displace Dmytro.
7However, the 72nd starter Fabien Claude ultimately managed to overtake Pidruchnyi, pushing him to fourth place. Nevertheless, this remains an optimistic start to the new year for the captain of the Ukrainian team.
Vitalii Mandzyn, with one miss, finished in 17th place in the sprint, Taras Lesiuk took 34th, while Anton Dudchenko had a disappointing race and did not qualify for the pursuit (78th).
A strong performance in the sprint raised hopes for the pursuit race, and Dmytro Pidruchnyi managed to cope with his emotions and reach the flower ceremony. This time, his shooting was slightly worse – three misses, so under these circumstances, sixth place can be considered a good result.
After four stages, Dmytro Pidruchnyi holds 14th place in the overall World Cup standings, Vitalii Mandzyn is 20th, and Anton Dudchenko is 30th.
Stage Respect
We won't stray far from the men's starts. After the finish of the pursuit race, an official award ceremony took place, and the triumphant Sturla Lægreid and the Bo brothers unfurled the Ukrainian flag! French athletes Fillon Maillet and Eric Perrot also joined the photo, along with Pidruchnyi.
8Stage Debutant
At the Oberhof stage, Darina Chalyk made her first starts in the World Cup. The 23-year-old biathlete finished 56th in the sprint, which allowed her to qualify for the pursuit race. However, in the pursuit, Chalyk made seven misses at three shooting ranges. As a result, the judges disqualified the Ukrainian from the race as a lapper.
0It's worth noting that Yuliia Dzhyma missed the pursuit race, having finished 14th in the sprint the day before, but did not start. Later, it was reported that Yuliia had fallen ill.
Stage Breakthrough
In this category, the clear frontrunner is Swedish athlete Elvira Öberg, who after finishing 37th in the sprint managed to soar onto the podium in the pursuit! Just one miss out of twenty shots – and bronze is in Elvira's hands!
1If it weren't for the miss in the final shooting, we might have seen a battle for first place, but the Swede can be satisfied with her bronze medal.
Stage Disappointment
After good individual races, the Ukrainian team failed in both relays that took place on Sunday. In the single mixed relay, Anton Dudchenko and Iryna Petrenko represented our team. Our biathletes showed nearly perfect shooting (only five extra cartridges), but they struggled with speed. 2:43 – the total deficit and only 13th place.
2With the same shooting results (0+5), the Finnish team won the race! For the Finnish biathletes, this is their first victory in a single mixed relay at World Cup stages, achieved by Tero Seppälä and Suvi Minkinen.
In the classical mixed relay, things did not go well at the shooting range, where Vitalii Mandzyn incurred a penalty lap and lost a lot of time preparing for his shots. Pidruchnyi, Dytrenko, and Horodna used only two extra cartridges among them, but they couldn't compete with their opponents in terms of speed, resulting in the Ukrainian team finishing only ninth, which cannot be considered a satisfactory result.
Overall Standings
Among men, the overall leader is Norwegian Johannes Thingnes Bø, who allowed his teammate Sturla Lægreid to close in slightly but still maintains a comfortable lead of 73 points. Third in the world ranking is Frenchman Emilien Jacquelin.
3Despite a setback in Oberhof (20th and 28th places), German Franziska Preuß has a lead of over a hundred points over her closest competitor, Frenchwoman Lou Jeanmonnot. The third position is held by Swedish athlete Elvira Öberg. The best among Ukrainian women is Yuliia Dzhyma, who is in 21st place in the world rankings.
The next stage starts in just three days and will also take place in Germany – in Ruhpolding. The fifth stage will feature individual races, relays, and mass start races.
Editor-in-Chief – Denys Shakhovets