The Ukrainian women's biathlon team showed impressive results at the second stage of the junior IBU Cup held in Martell-Val Martello, Italy. According to information from the 'Glavkom' portal, our athletes achieved second place in the relay race.
The Ukrainian biathletes enriched the national team with a third medal this season, despite fighting for first place for almost the entire distance. The final stage of the race proved crucial for the overall result.
The start of the race was successful for the Ukrainian team thanks to the excellent performance of Tetyana Tarasyuk. She started in fourth place and demonstrated flawless shooting at both shooting ranges, not using any extra ammunition. This confident performance allowed her to create a significant lead over other teams and pass the baton with a gap of over forty seconds. After Tarasyuk, the baton was taken by Viktoria Khvostenko, who temporarily fell behind the Slovenian team.
The situation was successfully salvaged by Ksenia Prykhodko, who ensured Ukraine's lead during her leg. Thanks to speed and shooting accuracy, she maintained the advantage over the Slovenes, bringing our team back to first place during the second shooting range. However, in the final stage, Valeriia Sheihas's performance was decisive, and as a result, three additional rounds were not enough to close all targets. This mistake allowed the German team to overtake the Ukrainians, who finished in second place, ahead of the French team.
Germany (2+13) - time 1:15:34.4 hours
Ukraine (2+8) - +55.1 seconds
France (5+16) - +56.3 seconds
Let us remind you that Ksenia Prykhodko previously came in third place at the junior IBU Cup in biathlon. The Ukrainian biathlete won a bronze medal in the women's mass start-60.
Her fellow teammate Tetyana Tarasyuk earned the first medal of the season for Ukraine. She won silver in the 7.5 km sprint among juniors, which took place during the first stage of the IBU Cup season 2025/26 in Swiss Gomsi.
The Ukrainian biathletes impressed with their performances at the second stage of the junior IBU Cup, finishing second in the relay race. This successful relay allowed them to enrich the national team with a third medal this season. Despite the intense competition and successful performances, the Ukrainians fell just short of luck on the finishing stage to win. Nevertheless, their achievements reflect a high level of preparation and professionalism of the athletes.