MINSK, 26 February (BelTA) - The experience of past races helped me to win the Men Super Sprint Final at the home IBU Open European Championships, Belarusian athlete Sergei Bocharnikov told journalists, BelTA has learned.
“Emotions after the victory are running high. I do not know how to express what I am feeling right now. Of course, I'm happy to win on home soil, in Raubichi. I will try to keep the bar high,” Sergei Bocharnikov noted. “I have had a lot of good races this year. I knew that I needed just a little bit to get to the podium. I was ready for this race. In Russia, I had a lot of super sprint races,” he added.
The athlete noted that the organizers made every effort to make biathletes feel comfortable on the track.
On 26 February, the championships rounded off with the Women Super Sprint Final. The competitions will continue on 27 February with the Single Mixed Relay (W+M) and 4x6 Mixed Relay. The Men 10 km Sprint and Women 7.5 km Sprint are scheduled for 29 February. The European championships will wrap up with the Men 12.5 km Pursuit and Women 10 km Pursuit on 1 March.
All in all, the event features 35 teams comprising about 270 athletes.
The 2020 IBU Open European Biathlon Championships were relocated from Estonia's Otepaa to Raubichi due to the warm weather in Estonia. The Belarusian Sport and Tourism Ministry and representatives of the Raubichi sports center expressed their readiness to host the competitions.
