The second day of competition at the Paralympic Games was dominated by the Chinese team, who won four gold medals in the 12.5 km Individual races. In addition, the Korean and Canadian national anthems were played at the Val di Fiemme venue. This time, the European representatives had to settle only for silver and bronze medals.

On Sunday, just as on Saturday, the competition took place under sunny skies. The weather affected the course, with the snow becoming increasingly slushy as the day went on. Unable to influence the conditions, the athletes focused primarily on shooting, with each missed target adding 60 seconds to their skiing time.

In the women's sit-ski race, we witnessed what could be described as a generational shift. All of Saturday's sprint medalists were over thirty. In Sunday's 12.5 km race, however, the youngest competitor in the field - 19-year-old Yunji Kim - claimed gold. The Korean delivered an outstanding performance on the course, and even the weakest shooting performance among the athletes vying for the podium did not prevent her from winning. She missed two targets, adding two penalty minutes to her skiing time, but still finished 13 seconds ahead of Anja Wicker. For the German, it was her fifth Paralympic medal - she had already celebrated her first successes in Sochi, at her Paralympic debut, when she was roughly the same age as Kim. Until the final shot, Kendall Gretsch had been leading the race. The American missed and ultimately finished third, 12 seconds ahead of sprint champion Oksana Masters.

The Chinese team secured a one-two finish in the men's sitting category. Zixu Liu delivered a dominant performance and was one of only two athletes to shoot clean. What stood out even more, however, was his shooting speed. During his third visit to the range, he knocked down all five targets in just 16.2 seconds. Across all four bouts, he completed his shooting in a total of one minute and 21 seconds - gaining nearly a minute on his closest rivals in this element alone. Zhongwu Mao won silver. Although he was faster on the course than the winner, a single missed shot cost him first place. Taras Rad also incurred a one-minute penalty but still secured bronze, adding it to the gold medal he won in the sprint.

Only nine competitors lined up in the women's standing category, but their level was so even that each of them could realistically dream of a podium finish. The Canadians were the most precise at the range, being the only athletes in the field to maintain 100 percent shooting accuracy. Brittany Hudak ultimately placed fifth, but Natalie Wilkie was able to celebrate her first Paralympic biathlon gold medal at the finish line. The Canadian finished more than half a minute ahead of Zhiqing Zhao and Oleksandra Kononova. For the Chinese athlete, it was her third Paralympic medal, and for the Ukrainian, already the sixth.

The first athlete to secure a double gold in Val di Fiemme was Jiayun Cai. The 25-year-old Chinese athlete, competing in the standing category, had never won a World Cup race before, having finished second three times. At the Paralympics, however, he reached another level. Even a miss with his first shot, which left him in 12th place, did not disrupt his rhythm. He gained ground with each subsequent lap - after the third shooting, he moved into the lead and held it until the finish.

Mark Arendz won his ninth Paralympic biathlon medal. After a disappointing fifth place in the sprint, the Canadian returned to the level he had shown in some of his best World Cup performances this season.

Marco Maier won the second bronze medal of these Games and the third Paralympic medal of his career. After a moderately successful World Cup season, the German had not expected such a strong start to the Paralympics.

Cai was followed by his compatriot in the women’s VI category. Yue Wang once again left her rivals no chance, dominating the race with her speed on the course. With the same number of penalties, she beat second-place Simona Bubenickova by one minute and 46 seconds. The Czech athlete still had plenty of reasons to celebrate - at just 17 years old, she became a Paralympic vice-champion only six months after first picking up a rifle. Third place went to Johanna Recktenwald, who confirmed that this format suits her particularly well. The world champion in the 12.5 km race shot clean and, like Bubenickova, celebrated her first Paralympic medal after finishing fourth twice in Beijing.

The Ukrainian VI team was unable to repeat their achievement from the sprint, when they had taken the top three places. Although Dmytro Suiarko claimed bronze and Maksim Murashkovskyi secured silver, the gold medal went to Hesong Dang of China. The 26-year-old, who had never previously stood on a World Cup podium, won by a margin of two minutes over the other medalists. Oleksandr Kazik - the sprint champion and defending champion in the Individual - finished fifth this time, with four missed shots proving decisive.

Some of the athletes will now switch their focus to para cross-country competitions. The next biathlon event, the Sprint Pursuit, is scheduled for Friday, March 13.

Photos: IBU | Barbieri