Antonin Guigonnat of France and Anastasiya Merkushyna of Ukraine won in the Individual at the IBU Open European Championships in Sjusjoen. Clearing all 20 targets proved to a decisive factor on a wintery day in Norway.

Guigonnat in control from the second shooting

Pacing himself to perfection and taking each shot with great care brought victory to Guigonnat, his second at the IBU Open European Championships after winning the Sprint in Brezno-Osrblie in the 2023/2024 season. Guigonnat shot 20/20, was in the lead from second shooting and won in 50:08.9. Isak Leknes Frey of Norway, fresh off his career-first World Cup podium in Ruhpolding, missed two targets and finished second, 1:11.0 behind Guigonnat. Valentin Lejeune of France, with 19/20, claimed the bronze medal, 1:13.1 behind his winning teammate. Frey earned his fifth individual medal at the Open European Championships, while Lejeune secured his first.

Merkushyna wins big for Ukraine

Merkushyna patiently paved her way to her fourth individual title at the IBU Open European Championships and her seventh individual medal overall. She was 15th after the first shooting, sixth after the second, fourth after the third, and took the lead when all her main competitors missed their crucial shots. Merkushyna won in 45:39.9. Riding the momentum of her strong form in the IBU Cup, Italy’s Samuela Comola, with one miss, finished second, just three seconds behind Merkushyna. Voldiya Galmace-Paulin of France, with 18/20, completed the podium, 4.8 seconds back. Comola and Galmace-Paulin both claimed their first individual medals at the IBU Open European Championships.

Photo: M. Nordnes: IBU Photo Pool