Beijing 2022 Results of Day 9: Fast on biathlon track

It was snowy on Sunday at the Winter Olympics. For Belarusian athletes, this factor was of decisive importance.

Sunny and windless weather in the biathlon center in Zhangjiakou gave in to a snowfall and gusty wind. This factor had an impact on the performance of Belarusian biathletes in the pursuit race. It was a boon for some and a bane for others.

Women were the first to compete. After the finish, Belarusian coaches had reasons to be proud of. Hanna Sola finished fourth, having recovered 22 positions after the Sprint, and Iryna Leshchanka outran 40 rivals, starting in 60^th.

"Today, the weather was very tough for all athletes. It's nice that the girls showed what they are capable of. It’s great! It is such a pity that we narrowly missed out on a medal, but it is truly hard to make it to the podium having such a gap. Indeed, one might say, the rivals and the weather played into our hands today. Hanna Sola made a real breakthrough, she performed very well on the track. She narrowly missed out on a podium place. I am very pleased with Iryna Leshchanka. Starting out in the 60^th position she stormed into the top 20. This rarely happens. Iryna demonstrated good speed, she was the eighth fastest biathlete throughout the entire race. Dzinara and us are upset: she did not do well at the second shooting stage. The first standing stage was a mess. We will talk it over later trying to figure out the reasons for the shooting errors. Maybe the snow on the mat got in the way, maybe the tension of the race... I would like to note that her shooting in this event was very uncommon of her,” head coach Oleg Ryzhenkov said reviewing the outcomes of the day.

In the men's race, fans pinned their main hopes on Anton Smolski. But he made six misses, which ruined his chance of winning a medal.

“The weather changed before the competition. Today, I did not luck out. We did the shooting in very difficult conditions. At one of the shooting ranges the wind was very gusty. I realized that I was preparing too long and decided to shoot. As a result I had three misses. I am satisfied only with my physical condition. I am glad that I have already competed in many races in Zhangjiakou, and I am still in good shape. We are looking towards the next competition at the Olympics," Anton Smolski said.

The Qualifying in the women's aerials was postponed due to heavy snowfall from 13 February to 14 February.

In speed skating, Hanna Nifontava clocked 38.30 and took 19th place.

Press service of the NOC of Belarus

Photos by the NOC of Belarus