A year ago in Prince George, Mark Arendz and Linn Kazmaier secured three victories at a single Para Biathlon World Championship. In Pokljuka, their legacy was carried forward by Kendall Gretsch and Oleksandr Kazik, who confirmed their primacy in Sunday's competition.

On the last day of the competition, the program featured an Individual race contested over a total distance of 12.5 km. Athletes must visit the shooting range four times; each missed shot means a one-minute penalty added to their course time.

The sitting categories began the competition before noon. The snowfall that had accompanied the zeroing turned into a drizzle during the event. Nevertheless, this did not stop Kendall Gretsch from reaching for her third gold medal in Pokljuka. The American was the only competitor to fire 20 accurate shots, overtaking Anja Wicker by two minutes. The German missed twice, as did China's Shiyu Wang, who, after two fourth-place finishes in previous races, finally secured the bronze medal.

The men's race remained tense until the very end. Aaron Pike (USA), Derek Zaplotinsky (Canada), and Yerbol Khamitov (Kazakhstan) battled for the medals from the start. All three shot flawlessly, so their skiing pace determined the final outcome. Initially, Zaplotinsky posted the fastest times, but after the fourth shooting, Khamitov took the lead, gaining a five-second advantage over both the American and the Canadian. The Kazakh maintained his advantage until the finish line, with Zaplotinsky taking silver and Pike claiming bronze. All three medalists finished within eight seconds of each other. For Khamitov, who already boasts an impressive collection of World Championship medals, this marks his first career gold in para biathlon.

The race in the standing women's category was equally close. Before the final lap, the top three were separated by just four seconds. Nathalie Wilkie missed one shot during the first shooting and was only fifth place at this competition stage. However, she steadily rebuilt her position and ultimately surged ahead of her rivals by over 20 seconds at the finish line. Meanwhile, Zhiqing Zhao secured her third medal from Pokljuka—this time silver—while Oleksandra Kononova took bronze.

Mark Arendz also added a third medal to his collection. After winning gold in the sprint and a disappointing Sprint Pursuit bronze, he again triumphed in the Individual. However, he had no margin for error, as Benjamin Daviet was in great form and, like the Canadian, shot flawlessly. The two finished 26 seconds apart, with third place—nearly two minutes behind—going to Ukraine’s Grygorii Vovchynskyi.

After a series of second- and third-place finishes, Johanna Recktenwald claimed her first career win. Although the number of athletes in the vision-impaired category may not be high, there is undoubtedly no talent shortage. Last season was dominated by Linn Kazmaier, who was absent from Pokljuka this year; meanwhile, this season, Leonie Maria Walter seemed unbeatable, and Carina Edlinger, always fast on skis, remains a constant threat. The latter two battled for second place: both missed twice, but Walter was marginally faster—by just one second. Recktenwald shot flawlessly and beat her rivals by just over 20 seconds.

The Ukrainian team once again put on a show in the men's race in the VI category. Oleksandr Kazik won his third gold medal in Pokljuka, though this victory was one of his most challenging. Despite two missed shots, he managed to beat Iaroslav Reshetynskyi by just three seconds. The bronze, 10 seconds behind, went to Anatolii Kovalevskyi, making the podium order identical to that of the previous day’s Sprint Pursuit. The closest challenge to the Ukrainians’ plans came from Anthony Chalencon, who missed three times and finished fourth.

Ukraine topped the medal table amassing a total of 14 medals – five gold, three silver, and six bronze.

The next Para Biathlon World Cup will be held from March 6 to 11 in Torsby, where we will finally discover who claims the crystal globes.

Photos: Kacin | IBU