KRASNAYA POLYANA — Darya Domracheva of Belarus added the individual gold to her pursuit title at the Sochi Olympics on Friday, destroying a high-octane field in the 15 kilometer race.
The 27-year-old from Minsk missed just once at the second shooting stop to record an overall time of 43 minutes, 19.6 seconds at the Laura biathlon course.
So fast was Domracheva around the course that she beat her nearest two clean-shooting rivals, Selina Gasparin of Switzerland, who trailed by 1:15.7 minutes, and her compatriot Nadezhda Skardino, who claimed bronze and was 22 seconds behind.
This season's World Cup champion, Gabriela Soukalova of the Czech Republic, was bumped off the podium into fourth, 1:57.5 minutes off the lead due to two misses on the shooting range.
In the individual event, each miss earns the biathlete a one-minute penalty.
Russia's best effort came from two-time champion Olga Zaitseva, 35, who was a huge four minutes adrift after missing once at each of the last two stops. She finished 15th.
Russia has only one biathlon medal so far, after Olga Vilukhina finished Sunday's sprint behind Slovakia's Anastasia Kuzmina. Vilukhina skipped the individual after falling ill.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.