PYEONGCHANG, 10 February (BelTA) - Gusts and freezing weather held me off from showing high results, Belarusian biathlete Darya Domracheva said after the 7.5K Women's Sprint at PyeongChang on 10 February, BelTA informs.
Darya Domracheva finished 9th, with two penalties. Laura Dahlmeier of Germany won the race in 21:06.2. Marte Olsbu of Norway finished second, 24.2 seconds back, with one penalty. Veronika Vitkova of the Czech Republic was third to cross the finish line, 25.8 seconds back, with one penalty.
“The result is not the one I counted on. Strong winds and frosts hampered to demonstrate stable performance. These factors have become a distraction,” the Belarusian biathlete said.
The three-time Olympic champion noted that she felt well despite the weather. “I am in a good physical form. Good speed let me show high results. This gives me hopes ahead of the pursuit. I will be starting close to the winner. It is important to avoid mistakes,” Darya Domracheva said.
When asked about the role of her three gold medals won at the Sochi Olympics, the Belarusian biathlete said: “Everything here, in PyeongChang, starts with a clean slate. The previous victories do not count. You need to go out and show what you are capable of,” the biathlete said.
Olympic debutant Irina Krivko had one penalty to finish the race 17th, 1:11.2 minutes back. Nadezhda Skardino missed the target three times to finish 36th. Nadezhda Pisareva was 52nd, 2:22.9 minutes behind the winner, with two penalties.
The 10K Men's Sprint is scheduled for Sunday, 11 February. The Women's Pursuit will take place on 12 February. All four biathletes qualified to the race.
