By Dmitry Baranovsky
Kontiolahti has hosted the last Cup round before the World Championship, with Domracheva performing in two races. The mixed relay was not a priority for her and, accordingly, she decided to preserve her energy for her major events — especially as weather conditions were hard. Her decision proved wise, as, the next day, she took bronze in the sprint — behind Germany’s Magdalena Neuner and Finland’s Kaisa Makarainen.
After the pursuit, the top three remained almost unchanged but Domracheva had every chance of taking gold. However, her unlucky shooting pushed her behind the winners twice during the race. Moreover, she had to twice struggle against Olga Zaitseva to win bronze. A better outcome was impossible, as Darya’s major rivals — Neuner and Makarainen — demonstrated truly confident shooting. “I think I love to create problems and then find solutions. However, this is not the best path. Luckily, time is ahead before the World Championship, to allow me to control my shooting,” she admitted after the finish.
Domracheva is among the favourites at the forthcoming World Championship. We hope she’ll work on her mistakes before arriving at Ruhpolding, where Magdalena Neuner — in her last biathlon season — will certainly aim to claim gold. In any case, fans will be behind our Darya as she battles her rivals for championship medals and the Large Crystal Globe (the major prize of the Cup season).
