The Ukrainian national men’s team has begun its preparation for the Olympic season with a refreshed lineup and new training focuses. Unlike the traditional approach, when rejuvenation usually occurs after the Olympic Games, Nadiia Bilova, the head coach of the men’s team, has taken a slightly different path. She entrusted a place in the team to several young athletes now, a year before the main event of the four-year cycle. The goal is to allow young athletes to go through a full training preparation and get an early feel for what it means to compete at the top-level events.

Three young athletes, Bohdan Borkovskyi (21), Stepan Kinash (23), and Serhii Suprun (21), have joined the main squad. They are training alongside Vitalii Mandzyn (22), who, despite still being one of the youngest, already brings World Cup experience, including a flower ceremony finish and a team podium.

“We should involve young athletes”

Having taken over as head coach only last season, Bilova underlines the importance of giving juniors a chance: “I wanted to start involving young athletes and placing more emphasis on that. Not to delay or postpone their development as professionals. I believe there’s no need to be afraid; we should include young talents in the main teams. Of course, not just because they are young, but because they show good results and have potential. We simply shouldn’t fear this process.”

Commenting on the appearance of younger names, Mandzyn says: “I’m really glad the team is rejuvenating and that we are managing to build a relatively young roster for the next few years. It’s especially important that the guys are gaining experience now, during the Olympic preparation period.”

Interestingly, it was the above-mentioned four that won Ukraine’s first-ever medal in the men’s junior relay at the World Championships in Otepää in 2024. And while they still have to battle for spots at the Olympic Games, this young core may well become the foundation of the future national team.

Talking about the workloads and volumes during the training, Bilova notes: “They are doing the same work as the more experienced guys. For example, during tough training sessions, their lactate levels are low and that’s a great sign. It means they are already adapting to the intensity.”

Smaller Team

In addition to the younger athletes, the team also includes Anton Dudchenko, Artem Tyshchenko, and Bohdan Tsymbal. The roster this season is smaller than usual - this was a conscious step by the coaching staff: “We’re heading into an Olympic season, so we made the group more compact to be closer to each athlete and give everyone the attention they need. Yes, we’re preparing for the Games, but we’re also looking ahead. We want our young athletes to integrate into the national team’s workflow now, not sometime later.”

At the same time, the team maintains experience and stability. For the second season, the leader and captain of the national team, Dmytro Pidruchnyi, continues to train individually together with his personal coach Juraj Sanitra. This season, Taras Lesiuk has joined them, a move that allows both athletes to better personalize their workload. This individual approach doesn’t isolate athletes from the team, on the contrary, it helps tailor their preparation, especially in a season where every detail matters.

Importance of mental strength

An Olympic season always brings high expectations and pressure. Only the strongest will get a place in the team for the Games. But the Ukrainian team is not only focused on the short distance. They are building continuity, giving the younger athletes room to grow, adapt, and learn. Because success doesn’t always come to those who are faster, it favors those who are also strong mentally and strategically. “Sure, right now, I can’t say what the final lineup will look like. I have an idea of who can handle the pressure, but at this stage, I can only judge based on contact training: how athletes react, how they cope mentally with the work. But that’s not fully objective. We’ll need to wait for the competitions to truly evaluate their readiness,” Bilova notes.

Mandzyn, who has experience of a full World Cup season, also highlights the importance of not only physical but also mental strength: “I understand the level of responsibility in an Olympic season and I’m ready for it. I think that compared to last year, I already have a certain psychological base, and that’s something I can build on. But I still consider myself relatively new to senior-level biathlon, and I know there’s a lot to work on. Therefore, I am mentally preparing myself for a full, consistent season, to deliver strong results and to be ready for the key challenges of this year.”

Photo: IBU/Osolodkina