The Ukrainian women's biathlon team has held the first control start of the new season. The sprint took place in Vuokatti, Finland, where 25 athletes took to the track, including 11 representatives of our team. The race became a key benchmark for the coaching staff before the start of the World Cup, which opens on November 26 in Kontiolahti. Details are reported by Sport RBC.UA with reference to the Biathlon Federation of Ukraine.

Horodna and Merkushyna in the top ten

Olena Horodna showed the best result among the Ukrainian women. She missed one target at the shooting ranges and finished seventh, 1 minute and 50.2 seconds behind the winner. Anastasiia Merkushyna also entered the top ten: with two misses, she took ninth place, 2 minutes and 8.6 seconds behind the leader. Daria Chalyk (13th), Viktoriia Khvorostenko (15th), and Oleksandra Merkushyna (16th) followed.

Penalty for Dmytrenko and the tail of the race

Khrystyna Dmytrenko took 22nd place. Despite one shooting miss, the Ukrainian received a three-minute penalty for incorrect course navigation, as national team coach Igor Yarmosh told Suspilne Sport in a comment. The rest of the Ukrainian representatives finished the race in the following positions: Valeriia Sheihas — 19th, Tetiana Tarasiuk — 21st, Lilia Steblina — 23rd, Kseniia Prykhodko — 24th, Iryna Shevchenko — 25th.

Czechs occupy the podium

All three prize-winning places went to representatives of the Czech Republic. The victory was won by 2021 World Champion Markéta Davidová, who covered the distance in 23 minutes 38.1 seconds without a single miss. Tereza Voborníková and Lucie Charvátová took second and third places respectively.

What's next: second start and World Cup selection

The second control start of the Ukrainian women's team in Vuokatti is scheduled for Sunday, November 15. Based on the results of the two races, the coaching staff will determine the team roster for the opening stages of the World Cup. The new Biathlon World Cup season will begin on November 26 in Kontiolahti, Finland, and the first stage will run until November 29.