
Hanna Sola. Image credit: Belarus’ NOC
MINSK, 22 December (BelTA) – Belarus’ Hanna Sola won a medal in a mass start race at the third stage of the Commonwealth Biathlon Cup, which ended in Chaykovsky, Perm Oblast, Russia, BelTA has learned.
Twenty-nine sportswomen took to the start of the 12.5km-long race. Belarus’ Hanna Sola was once again the fastest on the track, and even four misses at the shooting range did not prevent her from climbing the podium: the Belarusian finished second after Natalia Shevchenko. In two previous races at the stage Hanna Sola finished fourth. Dzinara Smolskaya was also close to the podium today. She made shooting mistakes twice less often than her teammate, but the athlete did not have enough strength for the final lap. Dzinara Smolskaya let her compatriot and Victoria Slivko get ahead of her and came in fourth as a result.
As for results of other Belarusian biathletes, Adelina Sabitova came in 13th, Irina Shakleina came in 17th, Darya Kudaeva - 19th, Elena Kulak - 22nd, Ksenia Vorobei - 27th. Men had participated in a mass start earlier on Sunday, in which Anton Smolski and Dzmitry Lazouski won silver and bronze medals respectively while Maksim Varabei was the last athlete in the top six.
At the third stage of the Commonwealth Cup in Chaykovsky Belarusian biathletes won four awards: three silver ones and a bronze. The men’s overall chart is headed by Anton Smolski with a 40-point margin while in the women’s general classification Dzinara Smolskaya is third. She is 75 points behind the leading athlete Victoria Slivko. The next stage will be held in Demino, Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia in mid-January.