Tuesday’s Sprint Pursuit in Torsby delivered plenty of drama, serving as a fitting climax to the first-ever IBU Para Biathlon World Cup season. Three Crystal Globe winners were already known heading into this final event, while three more still needed to secure their titles. The Nations Cup, too, remained undecided until the very end.

The Sprint Pursuit consists of two stages - the morning run determines the starting order for the afternoon race. Both events spanned 4 km, though the Sprint enforced a 15-second penalty for every missed target, whereas in the Pursuit, athletes had to ski penalty loops for any shooting mistakes. The first to finish wins.

In the men’s sitting category, Aaron Pike was the first to cross the finish line in Pursuit. The American built a solid advantage in the Sprint, which helped him secure his second win of the season. Who knows how the fight for the Total Score title would have played out if not for the fact that Pike had to miss the first four races due to health reasons?

Meanwhile, Yerbol Khamitov, who finished 31 seconds behind Pike today, showed consistent form throughout the season, securing the Crystal Globe before the last race. The 27-year-old becomes the first-ever Kazakhstani athlete to win the Total Score in any biathlon event. Joining Pike and Khamitov on the podium was Scott Meenagh, earning his first Top-3 finish since the 2023 World Championships.

The highlight of the day was the end of Kendall Gretsch’s unbeaten streak. In the Sprint, the American recorded just her third missed shot of the entire season (!)—a mistake that ultimately cost her the victory. Although she delivered a perfect final, she couldn’t quite close the gap to Anja Wicker, finishing just two seconds behind. For the 34-year-old German, this marks her second win of the season, but unlike the first—when Gretsch was absent—this one is extra special. With this victory, Wicker sealed the Total Score title, finishing 120 points ahead of Gretsch. However, the American had two fewer starts than her closest rival.

The final race of the season produced Linn Kazmaier’s first victory. The 18-year-old German, who dominated last winter, paused her training for personal reasons, missed most of the season, and only regained top form in Torsby. Even with a penalty round in the final, she finished a full minute ahead of Leonie Marie Walter—who clinched the Crystal Globe with that result. Walter never placed lower than second all season, collecting six wins along the way.

None of the VI-category athletes kept a clean sheet today, yet Jaroslav Reshetynskyi’s sprint advantage carried him to his third victory of the season—securing the overall standings success. Ukrainians dominated the Total Score taking the top six positions. The only consistent challenger this winter was Anthony Chalencon, who finished Tuesday’s race in second place, 25 seconds back. The battle for third was dramatic: on the final straight, Oleksandr Kazik and Maksym Murashkovskyi collided, but Kazik recovered more quickly to claim the last spot on the podium.

A similar drama unfolded in the Standing Women’s Pursuit, where Iryna Bui and Danielle Aravich fought for second place. The two ran the final lap side by side, with the American pulling ahead slightly—until both disappeared under the bridge and reemerged with the Ukrainian in front. Aravich had fallen, yet she celebrated her third-place finish at the line, marking her first career biathlon podium. Meanwhile, Oleksandra Kononova delivered a commanding performance from start to finish, crossing the line nearly a minute ahead of the field. She then received the trophy for winning the overall title by 67 points over Nathalie Wilkie, who placed fourth on the day.

The men’s race proved equally gripping. In an unexpected twist, flawless shooting propelled Kazakhstan’s Alexander Gerlits to a Sprint victory. The 35-year-old, who had yet to reach the podium this season, missed twice in the Pursuit, allowing Marek Arendz to overtake him by just six seconds at the finish. The Canadian, struggling with end-of-season fatigue, redeemed himself after two disappointing results in Torsby, earning his seventh win in 11 starts. He also stood on the podium in the remaining four competitions and claimed the Crystal Globe with a record 150-point lead over Germany’s Marco Maier. Looking ahead, Karl Tabouret may emerge as Arendz’s greatest threat next season. The 21-year-old Frenchman showcased his potential by following up a second-place finish in the Individual with a third-place result in the Sprint Pursuit.

The final day of competition in Torsby saw the winner of the Nations Cup emerge. Ukraine beat Germany by just 35 points. Canada came in third, while Kazakhstan and the USA were just off the podium, pushing the Chinese, who were absent from Torsby, to sixth place at the end of the season.

Photos: Krystek | IBU