MINSK, 24 January (BelTA) – Belarusian biathlete Hanna Sola became a medalist in the pursuit race at the fourth leg of the Commonwealth Cup taking place in Raubichi, BelTA has learned.
Thirty-one biathletes took part in the women’s 10km pursuit. Hanna Sola started 11th, 54 seconds behind the leader. The Belarusian passed both prone shooting stages without penalty loops, which allowed her to move into the top three. In the standing position under challenging wind conditions, Sola missed a total of three targets, but her rivals were no less prone to errors. In the end, Hanna crossed the finish line in second place, losing only to Russian biathlete Natalya Shevchenko.
Heading into the final lap, Belarusian Dzinara Smolskaya was in third position, but she lacked the strength for the final stretch. The Belarusian athlete finished seventh. The bronze medal was won by Anastasia Khalili, who edged out the overall Commonwealth Cup standings leader Kristina Reztsova by a few tenths of a second.
Belarusian biathlete Irina Shakleina placed 18th, Alena Kulak finished 20th, Viktoryia Shashkova was 25th, Kseniya Varabei came 28th, and Alina Zaitseva rounded out the final standings. The men’s pursuit race will also take place on 24 January, with Anton Smolski starting third.
Photos by Vitaly Pivovarchik and Denis Kostyuchenko/BelTA
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