Hristova and Gunka take Junior Super Sprint Gold

Lora Hristova (BUL) and Jan Gunka (POL) are the first gold medal winners of the Summer Biathlon World Championships in Brezno-Osrblie, triumphing in the Super Sprint.

In hot, sunny, conditions, the Summer Biathlon World Championships got underway today in Brezno-Osrblie (SVK). The Junior Super Sprints opened four days of competition, beginning with the Junior Women Super Sprint early on Thursday Morning.

Hristova speeds to gold

After sealing the victory in the Qualification, Bulgaria's Lora Hristova managed to hold on the her lead in the Super Sprint Finals. Even three misses in the final standing couldn't stop her on the way to victory, distancing Ukrainian duo Oleksandra Merkushyna and Olena Horodna into silver and bronze positions, respectively.

"The shooting was not really difficult for me in the Qualification, but in the Finals my legs were almost dead, especially on the last loop. After all the mistakes I couldn't imagine losing the battle, so I gave everything of myself." - Hristova

Hristova posted the fastest skiing time in both qualification and finals.

Gunka pushes towards victory

Finishing 4th in the Qualification, Poland's Jan Gunka prevailed in a topsy-turvy conclusion of the Super Sprint Finals. Most of the top names missed one target (or more) - Gunka left the range one second behind Ukraine's Serhii Suprun but made up for the deficit in no time on the final 1.5km. Matija Legovic (CRO), who led the field until the final shooting ended up with bronze after being bested on the home straight by Suprun.

"I really like the shorter loops, like in the super sprint. I like this competition. I had a lot of fun and I felt very strong on the skis. I tried not to think too much when I missed the last shot because a lot of guys didn't shoot clear." - Gunka

Tomorrow, the Senior competitions in Brezno-Osrblie will begin with the Super Sprints for the Men and the Women. Both the Czech and the Ukrainian teams are starting with their full A-team (minus Dmytro Pidruchnyi who broke his arm) and will be in the hunt for the medals.

All senior competitions at the Summer Biathlon World Championships will be broadcast live on www.eurovisionsports.tv/ibu/ - the full competition schedule can be found here.

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