The second day of competition at the IBU Youth and Junior World Championships in Arber saw the Youth and Junior Women take on the same Individual discipline as the men yesterday. Conditions were drastically different, with sunshine giving way to intermittent rain throughout the day, yet the races remained every bit as thrilling.

Youth Women Individual

Michaela Strakova made history as the first Slovak woman ever to win gold at the IBU Youth and Junior World Championships, mastering the challenging course and posting the fastest ski time despite a single shooting error. One minute behind, Norway’s Hanna Voelstad took silver in her very first international competition, managing three penalties to secure second place. Bronze went to Ukraine’s Viktoriia Khvostenko, who missed only once on the opening standing stage and shot clean on the remaining targets, earning her country’s second medal of the championships.

Junior Women Individual

After yesterday’s silver, France secured its first gold of the championships today thanks to Themice Fontaine, who was the only competitor among today’s 88 starters to shoot clean, leaving no room for her rivals. Silver went to Oleksandra Merkushyna, who completed her Youth and Junior World Championships medal collection with this podium, adding to her previous Youth gold and bronze, as well as last year’s junior Mass Start 60 bronze. Finland’s Inka Hamalainen took bronze, narrowly missing a flawless race with two targets left standing on the final shooting stage.

The small crystal globe for the Junior Women Individual discipline was awarded to Carlotta Gautero, who finished ninth today.

Tomorrow, the action continues with the mixed relays: Youth at 11:00 CET and Junior at 14:45 CET.

Photos: Deubert/IBU