Spring-like weather did not spoil the fun on the IBU Para Biathlon World Cup Finals opening day in Torsby. The same stadium that hosted the 2010 Youth & Junior World Championships came alive once again as the world’s top para biathletes battled for total score victory. While some favorites met expectations, the day also yielded surprising results.

The organizers rose to the challenge, and despite unseasonably high temperatures in the days leading up to the event, the courses were well prepared. However, they were shortened, with the sitting category competing over 6 km instead of the usual 7.5 km. Under these conditions, Kazakhstan’s Yerbol Khamitov excelled, claiming his second straight victory—he also won the previous World Championships competition in Pokljuka—and is now confidently chasing the Crystal Globe. Despite incurring a penalty round, he finished 17 seconds ahead of Ukraine’s flawless Pavlo Bal.

On the women’s side, Kendall Gretsch emerged again on top despite a significantly reduced field. Holding onto her undefeated streak remains her focus heading into the final events in Torsby. In the sprint, Yunji Kim of Korea came closest to challenging Gretsch; she also shot flawlessly but still trailed by 52 seconds.

A powerful Ukrainian team in the men’s VI category suffered a rare defeat. Anthony Chalencon secured his first season victory with flawless shooting, finishing 47 seconds ahead of Iaroslav Reshetynskyi. Meanwhile, a three-time gold medalist from Pokljuka, Oleksandr Kazik, ended up fifth after missing three shots.

The German women continued their dominance in the VI category. Leonie Marie Walter, Johanna Recktenwald, and the returning Linn Kazmaier all shot perfectly to lock out the podium. Although Recktenwald seemed poised to win for the second time in a row, Walter had the stronger finish and triumphed by 12 seconds.

After a disappointing showing at the February World Championships in Pokljuka, Serhii Romaniuk of Ukraine claimed his second victory of the season, taking advantage of Marek Arendz’s penalty in the second shooting. The Canadian, who finished 20 seconds behind, remains the favorite for the Crystal Globe with two races remaining, holding a lead of more than 120 points over Romaniuk.

The most riveting contest took place in the standing women’s category. Nathalie Wilkie shot flawlessly, but her shooting pace was slow, causing her to trail World Cup leader Oleksandra Kononova by eight seconds heading into the final lap. At the finish, however, the Canadian came out on top by… three-hundredths of a second! In doing so, she avenged this week’s sprint loss at the FIS Ski World Championships in Trondheim, where she fell short by two-tenths of a second to Vilde Nilsen.

Two more events remain on the Torsby schedule. On Sunday, athletes will tackle the Individual race, followed by a day off before Tuesday's eagerly anticipated Sprint Pursuit.