Ukraine’s Dymytro Pidruchnyi took control of this afternoon’s IBU SBWCH Men’s Super Sprint at Otepaeae’s Tehvandi Stadium cleaning the last standing stage, after just one earlier penalty, going to an uncontested Gold medal in 19:19.5. The day’s second Gold medal went to Slovakia’s Paulina Batovska Fialkova, in the top three throughout the competition before cleaning the last standing and skiing away to a 21:11.5 win, with one penalty.

“Important for me, my family and my country”

Today’s victory gave the Ukrainian his second IBU World Championship Gold medal, five years after he won the Pursuit Gold medal in Oestersund. He called the win, “Amazing, winning the Gold medal is very important for me, my family, and my country since it is National Falg Day.” After struggling with his shooting in the qualification rounds, “I made some adjustments before the final that gave me the Gold medal.”

1-2 for Ukraine

Pidruchnyi’s teammate Artem Tyshchenko gave Ukraine a 1-2 finish, taking the Silver medal, also with one penalty, 5.2 seconds back. Czechia’s Tomas Mikyska, with three penalties won the Bronze medal, 7.5 seconds back after a finish line battle with fourth place Oscar Andersson.

After the drizzly day yesterday, the skies cleared today with a light breeze wind on the usually tricky range. Latvia’s Andrejs Rastorgujevs controlled the prone stages, going 10-for-10, with a group of seven in contention. Everything changed in the first standing as Rastorgujevs picked up two penalties, while Tyshchenko went to 15-for-15 and the lead; Pidruchnyi trailed by 12 seconds, but quickly moved up and cleaned the last standing, leading his teammate out of the stadium to their 1-2 finish.

Women’s Super Sprint

Behind Batovska Fialkova, Finland’s Suuvi Minkinnen also with one penalty won the Silver medal, her first in an IBU Championship, 11.5 seconds back. Czechia’s Lucie Charvatova, with three penalties won the Bronze medal, 20.2 seconds back.

Eight women cleaned the first prone stage, led by Croatia’s Anna Kozica, with to Estonians and two Finn in the group. Batovska-Fialkova led the fields into the second prone. She cleaned but Charvatova was a second faster with Milena Todorova and Suuvi Minkkinen on the Slovak’s shoulder.

The leaders went to the penalty loop as did he Bulgarian and Finn; Batovska-Fialkova came out first, leading into the last standing. The new mother cleaned th last stage as did Minkinnen and Kamila Zuk, leaving in that order, seemingly in the medal positions. The top two held on, but Charvatova with a furious last loop nipped Zuk at the line for the Bronze medal.

Photos: IBU/Christian Manzoni