Oleksandra Merkushyna Photo: biathlon.com.ua
In Turin, Italy, Ukrainian biathletes Oleksandra Merkushyna and Serhiy Suprun won a gold medal in the single mixed relay at the XXII World Winter Universiade. The Ukrainian pair showed an excellent result, finishing the race in 39 minutes and 52.5 seconds.
Despite having to use eight extra rounds of ammunition at the firing ranges, the athletes avoided penalty laps, which was an important factor on their way to victory. Merkushyna, a 20-year-old talented biathlete, seized the lead at the start of the second half of the race and did not allow her competitors to break away until the finish line.
In the end, Ukraine finished first, ahead of the Czech Republic, which took second place (+16.7 seconds), and Poland, which rounded out the top three (+23.2 seconds).
This gold medal is part of the remarkable achievements of the Ukrainian biathlon team at the 2025 Summer Universiade. On the first day of the competition, Ukraine already won a gold medal in the men’s short individual race (Bohdan Borkovskyi) and a bronze in the women’s event (Daryna Chalyk).
