Darya Domracheva, the recent winner of the 2015 Big Crystal Globe, has won the biathlon mass start, while Belarus’ Nadezhda Skardino took silver.
Darya and Nadezhda after the race
Darya suffered only one miss on the target range, finishing in 15:59. 2 minutes, with Belarusian Nadezhda Skardino just 5.5 seconds behind. Italian Karin Oberhofer closed the top three in the Race of Champions, while Domracheva’s main World Cup rival, Finnish Kaisa Makarainen, came fourth.
Darya noted her delight in winning the mass start at the Race of Champions for the first time, admitting that she loves skiing at Tyumen and feels great support and camaraderie from the organisers and fellow athletes. She added that, compared to last year’s track, at the indoor Olimpiysky Sports Centre, in Minsk, Tyumen’s outdoor shooting ranges were more difficult, bringing the added component of the wind.
The Race of Champions ended with mixed relay races, in which Darya Domracheva’s pairing with Norwegian Ole Einar Bjørndalen resulted in fourth place. Over eight firing lines (split equally between women and men) Darya managed to hit every target, as did Ole, keeping them among the leaders. Sadly, the Norwegian allowed Slovenia’s Jakov Fak to overtake him as they approached the finish line.
By Igor Leshin
