Para biathlon: no podium this Saturday for Les Bleus at the Pokljuka World Championships
At the Para Biathlon World Championships in Pokljuka (Slovenia), Benjamin Daviet ‘s best chance of a medal came on Saturday, in the very electric and short sprint pursuit. Author of an impeccable 10/10 in the shooting during the final held in the afternoon under the Slovenian sun, he came out of the last shot in the race to clinch the much sought-after podium.
Unfortunately, the Bornandin couldn’t keep up with the pace on the final lap and had to be content with a frustrating fourth place. The title went to Ukrainian Grygorii Vovchhynskyi (10/10) ahead of German Marco Maier (9/10) and Canadian Mark Arendz (9/10). Karl Tabouret (9/10) was seventh.
The women’s race was won by Ukraine’s Oleksandra Kononova (9/10). At the finish line, she won gold with a lead of almost 20 seconds over her compatriot Iryna Bui (10/10). China’s Zhao Zhiqing (7/10) was bronzed ahead of Canadians Brittany Hudak (9/10) and Natalie Wilkie (9/10).
Anthony Chalençon couldn’t keep up with the pace
In the visually impaired category, Anthony Chalençon (guided by Florian Michelon) was aiming for a second medal in two races, two days after winning silver in the sprint. Despite a 9/10 on the mats, the Morzinois struggled on the track and finished sixth.
Up front, Ukraine scored an impressive quadruple. It was Oleksandr Kazik (guided by Serhii Kucheriavyi) who took gold ahead of Iaroslav Reshetynskyi (guided by Dmytro Drahun) and Anatolii Kovalevskyi (guided by Oleksandr Mukshyn).
Germany’s Leonie Maria Walter (guided by Christian Krasman) won the women’s gold medal ahead of her compatriot Johanna Recktenwald (guided by Eily Rose Weiss) and Austria’s Carina Edlinger (guided by Michael Seyss-Inquart).
Lastly, in the sit-sets, China’s Liu Zixu (9/10) won the men’s title ahead of his compatriot Liu Mengtao (8/10) and Ukraine’s Oleksandr Aleksyk (10/10), while American Kendall Gretsch (10/10) took the women’s gold, beating China’s Zhai Yuxin (10/10) and Germany’s Anja Wicker (7/10).
Full results
Standing
Men
Ladies
Visually impaired
Men
Ladies
Sitting
Men
Ladies
- The full programme for the Pokljuka 2025 World Championships
- The French selection for the world championships in Pokljuka, Toblach and Trondheim
- “I don’t need much more to play up front”: Benjamin Daviet prepared for the Pokljuka World Championships at the Val di Fiemme World Cup.
- Pokljuka: Karl Tabouret fourth in the World Championships sprint, less than a second from bronze, Benjamin Daviet eighth
- Pokljuka World Championships: Anthony Chalençon and his guide Florian Michelon take silver in the sprint
- “Now the goal is to win a title”: silver in the sprint, the ideal launch pad for Anthony Chalençon and Florian Michelon at the Pokljuka World Championships
- Pokljuka: Benjamin Daviet, Karl Tabouret and Anthony Chalençon (guided by Florian Michelon) in the sprint pursuit final
