After four years of preparation, para biathletes finally saw their first day of competition at the Paralympics in Val di Fiemme. All categories competed in a 7.5 km sprint with two prone shooting bouts. The penalty lap for the sitting category was 100 m, and for the standing and vision impaired (VI) categories, 150 m. Ukraine won three gold medals, while China claimed two. The sixth gold medal, however, generated the most excitement.

The first athletes to compete for Paralympic medals were those in the sitting category. In the women’s race, all eyes were on Oksana Masters, who was vying for her tenth Paralympic gold medal and twentieth medal overall, counting both the Winter and Summer Games. She succeeded, although her compatriot Kendall Gretsch did everything to make it difficult for her. Both shot clean, and only one second separated them before the final lap. However, Masters was much faster on the course and eventually won by 16 seconds. Before the season, the 36-year-old could hardly have expected that her return to biathlon tracks after a year-long injury break would be so successful.

“The American girls were incredibly strong today. I missed two shots, so fighting for gold or silver just wasn't possible. Even with a clean shooting, it would have been very difficult,” said Anja Wicker, who challenged Yunji Kim for the bronze medal. The Korean missed four shots in the first shooting but still fought for the podium, eventually losing it by eight seconds.

The men's competition was of a very high standard - even a single missed shot ruled out any chance of fighting for victory. The top six competitors all shot clean, while, as always, only three spots on the podium were available. Taras Rad continued his winning streak from the World Cup, beating Mengtao Liu and defending champion Zixu Liu. The Chinese athletes spent less time on the shooting range, but the Ukrainian made up for it on the course. He crossed the finish line with a 10-second lead over the silver medalist and 17 seconds over the bronze medalist.

In the standing women’s category, a fierce battle for gold unfolded between the experienced and highly decorated Oleksandra Kononova and Nathalie Wilkie, who was dreaming of her first Paralympic biathlon medal. After the first shooting, the Ukrainian held a two-second advantage over the Canadian. Following the second bout, the gap grew to five seconds and, despite Wilkie’s efforts on the final lap, it remained unchanged until the finish. For Kononova, it was the third Paralympic biathlon gold medal of her career - the previous two having come 16 and 12 years ago. On the podium, she was joined by Liudmyla Liashenko, for whom it was the fifth podium in her last six Paralympic starts. The 32-year-old was the only medalist to miss a shot and finished 32 seconds behind the winner.

The Chinese team secured a one-two finish in the men’s standing category. Twenty-five-year-old Jiayun Cai claimed his first career victory, while Xiaobin Liu took second place - the biggest success so far for both athletes. Both Chinese competitors shot clean and were separated by 22 seconds at the finish line. Grygorii Vovchynskyi and Marco Maier engaged in a thrilling battle for third place. At the last intermediate time before the finish, the Ukrainian was still ahead, but the German finished 0.2 seconds faster to claim his second Paralympic medal. In Beijing, he also finished second in the sprint.

China continued its winning streak in the women’s vision-impaired category, where Yue Wang proved unrivaled. Despite skiing a penalty loop, the Chinese athlete prevailed over the second-placed competitor by an impressive 28 seconds. The 26-year-old had previously finished third at both the Paralympic Games and the World Championships, but today’s gold medal marks a major step forward in her career. A similar breakthrough came for Carina Edlingerová, a decorated cross-country skier who has recently been trying her hand at biathlon. Her silver medal is the Czech Republic’s first biathlon medal at the Paralympic Games. Leonie Marie Walter won bronze, repeating the same result she achieved four years ago.

The men’s race in this category once again showcased the strength of the Ukrainian team, something they have consistently demonstrated over the past four years. Oleksandr Kazik won his fifth Paralympic medal and his second gold, finishing more than a minute ahead of Iaroslav Reshetynskyi and Anatolii Kovalevskyi. All three athletes shot clean. Hesong Dang of China came close to the podium, missing out on a medal by just 0.7 seconds.

The competitors will not have much time to celebrate their success or reflect on their disappointment, as the next event - the 12.5 km Individual - is scheduled for Sunday.

Photos: IBU | Barbieri