Ukrainian biathlete secures gold at world championship

Ukrainian biathlete Oleksandra Merkushyna has become the world champion among juniors at the ongoing World Championship in Otepää, Estonia. 

Suspilne Sport reports that the Ukrainian team won its first gold medal at the Junior Biathlon World Championship. Oleksandra Merkushyna won the gold medal in the women's mass start-60.

Three Ukrainian girls took part in the race. The 19-year-old athlete secured the "gold," snatching victory in the last meters of the race.

At the first two shooting ranges, Merkushyna missed once each, putting herself in an unfavorable position. Meanwhile, only four participants in the race, including our Ksenia Prykhodko, managed to hit all 20 targets.

After hitting all targets on the third shooting range, Merkushyna moved up to fifth place. She came in fourth on the final shooting range, trailing behind the leader Elsa Tanglander from Sweden by 28 seconds. The competitor managed to miss three shots, allowing Merkushyna to chase down France's Lola Bugeaud.

The climax came on the final lap. Oleksandra surpassed her competitor and finished the race as the winner with a gap of 1.9 seconds.

Two other Ukrainian athletes, Ksenia Prykhodko and Valeriia Khvostenko, finished 13th and 41st respectively. Prykhodko, however, did not earn any penalty loops.

Estonian biathlete Johanna Talihärm, after her team's historic relay race at the World Championship, finished the race with the cry "Glory to Ukraine!"

Representatives of Ukraine won the fourth medal at the European Cup stage at the Bulgarian ski resort Pamporovo.

Also, Ukrainian figure skater Ivan Shmuratko showed the 19th result in the short program at the 2024 European Figure Skating Championships, marking his first performance in two years. He skated his free program in a shirt with a red spot, symbolizing a shot wound.