Khmil, Ruda, and Khvostenko Snatch Bronze at the 2026 Junior World Biathlon Championships in the Final Shooting Stage
The national team earned its fifth medal of the World Championships.
Ukraine's junior women's biathlon team closed out the 2026 Junior World Championships in Arber, Germany, with a medal. In the relay held March 8, Alina Khmil, Khrystyna Ruda, and Viktoriia Khvostenko finished third.
The men's competition at the 2026 Junior World Championships wrapped up the day before — the junior men's (youth) team finished eighth in their relay, despite running second for much of the race, while the junior men (U21) were lapped and finished the race early.
DeTalks is covering Ukrainian athletes' results at the 2026 Junior World Biathlon Championships. Follow the editorial team's Telegram channel to stay on top of the latest news.
How Ukraine's Women's Relay Went at the 2026 Junior World Biathlon Championships
- Alina Khmil, who opened for Ukraine on the first leg, left the prone shooting stage in second, trailing leader Trude Harstad of Norway by 1.9 seconds. She arrived at the second shooting stage with a similar gap, but after using two spare rounds, handed off the relay in only ninth.
- After the first shooting stage, Khrystyna Ruda brought the team back into the top three with a clean round. But out of the standing stage, the biathlete had two spare rounds against her, sending Viktoriia Khvostenko out onto the course 1:41.2 behind Norway.
- Khvostenko, in turn, passed Germany on the first lap and closed in on Austria, trailing them by seven seconds after the prone stage. But at the standing stage, Ukraine's rivals faltered — Austria skied one penalty lap, and Switzerland skied two.
That let Viktoriia leave the final shooting range in third and hold that position to the finish. With that, Ukraine claimed its fifth medal of the 2026 Junior World Biathlon Championships, and its first-ever World Championship medal in a relay.
2026 Junior World Biathlon Championships Women's Relay, 3x6 km, Results
- Norway (0+5) 53:05.6
- France (0+12) +1:07.3
- Ukraine (0+7) +1:32.1
The final race of the 2026 Junior World Biathlon Championships in Arber will be the junior women's (U21) relay, starting March 8 at 15:30.