--- title: "Vitalii Mandzyn Prepares for Loop One Debut in Munich: What Awaits Ukrainian Biathlon on October 17–18" description: "Vitalii Mandzyn will perform for the first time at the Loop One show festival in Munich on October 17–18. Together with Dudchenko, Dmytrenko, and Merkushyna, he will hold a final test of strength before the winter World Cup." date: 2026-10-16T15:30:55.458Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/mandzyn-debut-loop-one-munich-biathlon-ukraine tags: [biathlon, loop-one, munich, ukraine, vitaliy-mandzyn, world-cup, super-sprint] author: "Andrey Kosynko" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Vitalii Mandzyn Prepares for Loop One Debut in Munich: What Awaits Ukrainian Biathlon on October 17–18 ![Ukrainian biathlete Vitalii Mandzyn competes on roller skis during the Loop One festival in Munich](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/16/mandzyn-debyut-loop-one-myunhen-biatlon-ukraina/mandzyn-debyut-loop-one-myunhen-biatlon-ukraina-1.webp) ## Key Points - Vitalii Mandzyn will debut at the Loop One show festival in Munich on October 17–18 - Ukraine will also be represented by Anton Dudchenko, Khrystyna Dmytrenko, and Oleksandra Merkushyna - The races will take place in the supersprint discipline at the Munich Olympic Park - For Mandzyn, this is his first experience performing at an elite show festival - The start will be the final head-to-head check of form before the winter World Cup One of Ukraine's leading biathletes, Vitalii Mandzyn, is preparing for a milestone event in his career—his debut at the prestigious Loop One show festival in Munich. For the 23-year-old athlete, this tournament will be his first such experience and an important stage of preparation for the new winter World Cup season. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA with reference to Suspilne Sport. The Munich festival traditionally wraps up the summer training program for leading biathletes and serves as a bridge between summer starts and the official opening of the international winter calendar. ### First Appearance on the Elite Stage The invitation to Loop One is not just another event on the calendar, but a full-fledged debut at an elite show festival. Mandzyn emphasized that he expects not only sports results from his trip to Germany, but also vivid impressions. 'The main goal is to have fun, feel the competitive rhythm before the season, and show the best possible result. I also want to experience the atmosphere from the inside, because last year I only watched it on TV, and the picture was super,' the biathlete shared. For an athlete who was watching these races on screen just yesterday, stepping onto the same track as a participant is a logical and emotionally charged step. ### Olympic Park, Supersprint, and Star-Studded Lineup The Loop One festival will take place in the famous Olympic Park in Munich—a venue that carries a huge emotional charge for any athlete. Over two days, October 17 and 18, spectators will witness dynamic races featuring world biathlon stars. The discipline is the supersprint: first qualification heats, followed by final races for men and women. The format of short, intensive distances is ideal for testing readiness before long winter stages and allows viewers to see maximum speed and drama in a limited time. ### Ukrainian Delegation: Four Names Along with Vitalii Mandzyn, three other athletes will represent Ukraine at the Munich festival: Anton Dudchenko, Khrystyna Dmytrenko, and Oleksandra Merkushyna. Thus, the national team enters Loop One in full force—in both men's and women's divisions. For Ukrainian biathletes, this start will be the last opportunity to test their strength in head-to-head duels with rivals before the official opening of the international winter calendar, giving the races in Munich additional tournament significance. ### Context: Why Loop One is Not Just a Show Despite its entertaining format and show-festival status, Loop One has long ceased to be exclusively a showcase for spectators. For top athletes, this is a real competitive start with high loads, where they can assess their form, shooting range performance, and psychological readiness in front of large crowds. That is why the world's leading teams consider the Munich festival a mandatory element of preseason preparation. For Mandzyn, who is entering this format for the first time, the experience will be especially valuable: it will allow him to understand how to adapt to the specifics of short distances at the elite level and transfer these skills to World Cup races. The competitions start tomorrow, October 17, and will last for two days. Ukrainian fans will be able to follow the performances of Mandzyn, Dudchenko, Dmytrenko, and Merkushyna live. For the entire national biathlon team, this weekend in Munich will be the final chord of summer preparation and the starting point for a full-fledged winter season. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Дебют в Мюнхене: лидер сборной Украины по биатлону впервые выступит на элитном фестивале](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/winter/debyut-myunheni-lider-zbirnoyi-ukrayini-biatlonu-1792164296.html) - The primary source contains all key facts: Mandzyn's name and age, dates October 17–18, location — Munich Olympic Park, supersprint discipline, composition of the Ukrainian delegation, quote from the athlete. There are no discrepancies with other sources, and no additional sources for cross-checking were provided. ## FAQ ### When and where will the Loop One festival take place? The competitions will be held on October 17–18, 2026, at the Olympic Park in Munich, Germany. ### Which Ukrainian biathletes will perform at Loop One? Ukraine will be represented by Vitalii Mandzyn, Anton Dudchenko, Khrystyna Dmytrenko, and Oleksandra Merkushyna. ### In which discipline will the races be held? The competitions will be held in the supersprint discipline: qualification and final races for men and women. ### Why is Loop One important for season preparation? The festival traditionally concludes the summer training program and serves as the final opportunity for athletes to test their form in direct races before the opening of the winter World Cup calendar.