The year 2026 began for the juniors in frosty Madona. With temperatures below –10 degrees Celsius, the athletes competed for the top spots in two sprints and the mass start 60. Five perspectives on the race week.

Estere Volfa puts in a fantastic performance in front of her home crowd

Estere Volfa has made history. She is the first biathlete from Latvia to win the IBU Junior Cup. In the second sprint, she hit all the targets and was also the fastest on the track. She finished more than a minute ahead of Tetiana Tarasiuk and Kseniia Prykhodko from Ukraine. In the mass start 60, she was also over a minute faster than Manca Caserman from Slovenia. In the first sprint, the result was reversed, with Caserman winning ahead of Volfa. With these convincing performances, it seems that Estere Volfa is ready for the Winter Olympics in Antholz, where she will represent her country.

Ukraine takes the lead in the Women's Nations Cup

The Ukrainian women's team put in a strong team performance in Madona. Tetiana Tarasiuk finished on the podium in both sprint races. Kseniia Prykhodko secured third place in the second sprint. In addition, a total of four athletes made it into the top 10 in the first sprint race: Tarasiuk and Prykhodko, as well as Polina Putsko (7th place) and Viktoriia Khvostenko (8th place). In the 60 m mass start, Putsko, Tarasiuk, and Iryna Shevchenko took 4th to 6th place. This puts the Ukrainian women in the lead in the nation rankings.

Thomas Marchl remains the best junior of the season

Thomas Marchl from Austria was already leading the overall standings after the first two stages of the 2025/2026 IBU Junior Cup. He was once again among the best in Madona. With a victory and an eighth place in the sprint and second place in the mass start 60, he remains the leader in the overall standings. “I trained very well during the Christmas break, especially at altitude again. I'm in good shape and looking forward to the races that are still to come,” said the 20-year-old after his victory.

Matija Legovic on his way to the Olympic Games

Croatian Matija Legovic has qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Antholz. However, the first sprint in Madona did not go as planned for him. With six penalty loops, he only managed to finish in 23rd place. But the overall winner of the 2024/2025 Junior Cup season was not going to let that stand. He came back on the second day of competition with a perfect sprint race and secured victory with a lead of almost one minute.

Vladimir Kocmanek celebrates his first victory in the IBU Junior Cup

For Czech athlete Vladimir Kocmanek, the Junior Cup in Madona ended with a personal best. He won the 60 m mass start. He was in the lead going into the final shooting stage and hit all the targets. On the final lap, he was celebrated by his team and the spectators. He already showed that he is in great shape in the sprints, finishing in 3rd and 4th place.

For the juniors, the action continues in January with the IBU Junior Open European Championships in Imatra.

Photos: IBU I Koksarov