Ukraine Posts Its Worst-Ever Result in the Junior Mixed Relay at the 2026 Junior World Biathlon Championships: What Happened
The national team went without a medal on the third competition day of the Junior World Championships.
Team Ukraine's biathletes finished the junior mixed relay at the Junior World Championships with their worst-ever result at the tournament. In the race, held March 2 in Arber, Germany, the national team finished 13th.
Ukraine also finished the morning's youth mixed relay outside the flower ceremony. In that race, Taras Tarasiuk, Kyrylo Kulchytskyi, Alina Khmil, and Viktoriia Khvostenko brought the team home in eighth, with four penalty laps.
Even so, over the first two competition days of the 2026 Junior World Championships, the national team won three medals across four individual races.
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 Junior Athletes Fared in the Mixed Relay at the 2026 Junior World Biathlon Championships
- Oleksandr Bilanenko started the race from sixth on the start list, and after the prone stage had already dropped into the teens — using all three spare rounds. He cleared the standing stage with seven shots, handing off the relay in 15th.
- Ivan Steblyna, on the second leg, was also on the edge of a penalty lap at the prone stage, but managed to avoid it using three spare rounds. At the standing stage, the biathlete also used the maximum of eight rounds.
- Polina Putsko, meanwhile, started her leg in 15th, but gained two positions right after the prone stage, shooting it clean. She gained another spot after the second shooting stage, clearing it with seven shots.
- At the exchange, Kseniia Prykhodko was already trailing race leader — Norway's Silje Berg-Knutsen — by 5:14. The Ukrainian used two spare rounds, both at the first shooting range, and held her position, finishing 13th.
The world champions in the junior mixed relay were Team Latvia. The team used 15 spare rounds in total and beat second-place Norway by 4.5 seconds.
2026 Junior World Biathlon Championships Junior Mixed Relay Results
- Latvia (0+7) — 1:17:55.2
- Norway (0+11) +4.5
- France (0+8) +58.7
...
13. Ukraine (4+8) +7:01.5
With that, Ukraine's biathlon team set its worst-ever result in the junior mixed relay at the Junior World Championships. The team's previous worst finish was ninth, in 2023.
How Ukraine Has Fared in the Youth and Junior Mixed Relays at the Junior World Championships
- Arber, Germany, 2026 — 13th place
- Östersund, Sweden, 2025 — 5th place
- Otepää, Estonia, 2024 — 8th place
- Shchuchinsk, Kazakhstan, 2023 — 9th place
The 2026 Junior World Biathlon Championships continue Tuesday, March 3, with the junior and youth sprints. Races start at 11:30 and 15:30, respectively.