Four Ukrainian women made it to the pursuit race
Senior coach Ukrainian women’s biathlon team Nikolay Zots appreciated the team’s performance in the sprint at the second stage World Cup in Hochfilzen. He is pleased with the result of the race and said that all four Ukrainians who made it to the Pursuit will take part in tomorrow’s start.
“I evaluate the result positively. The only thing I didn’t like was Petrenko’s stance. She walked well. I asked her not to overexert herself while shooting. It’s very bad when you hold the front sight for a long time. During this moment I made comments to her.”
“Anastasia Merkushina has outdone herself today. I knew that she could demonstrate such results, but I expected them later. Therefore, she can perform even better in the future.”
“Yulia Dzhima had a great training, but without competitions it is difficult to determine what level she is at now. She needs to get into a groove. Anya Krivonos fought and did not fail the race. If it weren’t for two penalty rounds, but one, Elena Gorodnaya, I think, would also have been able to qualify for the pursuit. In general, the results are such that they give us hope to move on.”
“We used to have this kind of practice to rest before the relay. But now I see that in order for girls to continue to grow, they need to start in pursuit. It’s worth going through four milestones and getting used to this environment. Even to the detriment of the relay, in which we will not be so fresh, so all four biathletes who got into the Pursuit will run.”
“On Saturday we will also see Kristina Dmitrenko. We also have Elena Gorodnaya – if there are any problems, she is also ready to support us in the relay.”
The best among Ukrainian women in the sprint was Anastasia Merkushina, who worked without penalty loops and took 23rd place. Yulia Dzhima, for whom today’s start was her debut of the season, finished 38th.
Irina Petrenko (51st place) and Anna Krivonos (57th place) also made it to the Pursuit. Elena Gorodnaya finished the race in 68th place. The winner of the sprint was the Norwegian Ingrid-Landmark Tandrevold.
On Saturday, December 9, the men’s (starts at 13:15) and women’s (15:45) pursuit races will take place in Hochfilzen.
Source: Sportarena
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