The Summer Biathlon World Championship held in Rüpolding, Germany was one of the most successful for Lithuania. Maksimas Fomins shone in the youth competition, winning the gold medal in the super sprint event and finishing sixth in the pursuit – only 8 seconds separated the biathlete from the second medal.
Karolis Dombrovskis distinguished himself with success among adults, the results of which were crowned by an invitation to the prestigious “Nordic Festival” competition organized by multiple Olympic champion Martins Fourcade.
K. Dombrovskis took 18th place in the super sprint (shooting 0+1+1+2), and 14th in the sprint (1+0). According to the results, in these two events, the Lithuanian biathlete entered the top 30 who took part in the Gala joint start competition – in which our biathlete finished 13th (0+1+1+1).
“First of all, I’m happy that I was able to participate in this championship and that I was able to fight. Despite the fact that it’s summer, not winter, it’s a big step for me after last season. The places taken are partially satisfactory, but I know that I could have done much better and much higher. A bit disappointing is the rate of fire, which is still difficult to increase. For example, the Estonian Zahna and I rode about the same speed in the sprint and the general start, but his places are much higher – simply because of the speed of the shot and the accuracy If the shot was ideal, it would have been possible to fight for a medal. Although it’s a theoretical possibility, it’s nice,” comments K. Dombrovskis.
Although most elite athletes usually miss the summer biathlon world championships, this time not only the Germans, but also the Swedes, Czechs and Italians have sent the most competent teams to Rūpolding. Two gold medals were won by Dorothea Wierer, who won the super sprint and the combined start event, while her teammate Lisa Vitozzi became champion in the sprint competition. Among the men, Sweden’s Sebatian Samuelsson won two gold medals (sprint, general start) and Germany’s Philip Horn triumphed in the super sprint.
“The championship lifted my spirits, there were a lot of athletes I fight with in the World Cup in the winter, I was able to compare myself to them and see that I am close to their level. I don’t don’t want to focus on the summer, it’s just a period of preparation, but it’s still important. I hope these departures will bring confidence and desire, said K. Dombrovskis. – I liked the atmosphere a lot, there were enough spectators. The influences were that there were no restrictions, finally not having to wear these masks – a bit of a release.”
On September 3, the brightest biathlon stars on the planet will take part in the “Nordic Festival” competition organized by multiple Olympic champion Martin Fourcade in Annecy (France). Vytautas Strolia, the leader of the Lithuanian national team, received an invitation to participate earlier, while K. Dombrovskis won one of three tickets for the most successful participants in the Summer World Championship.
“Just after the co-start, I received a message from Simon Fourcade saying that I was one of the three lucky ones to have received invitations based on the results of this race. We spoke with the coaches and I I have shown my desire to participate. It is an extraordinary event, and after receiving the invitation, you want to participate, represent yourself and represent your country, ”rejoiced K. Dombrovskis.
Natalija Kochergina also successfully performed at the Summer Biathlon World Championship. The PyeongChang Olympics participant finished 30th in the super sprint (1+2+1+2), 24th in the sprint (0+0) and 30th in the all-around.
Source: The Delfi
