Pulse #Biathlon
Author: Andrii Nikitonok

Dmytro Kriukov One Step From the Flower Ceremony in the Junior IBU Cup Mass Start 60

Dmytro Kriukov One Step From the Flower Ceremony in the Junior IBU Cup Mass Start 60
Photo: National Olympic Committee of Ukraine

The biathlete set a personal best at the Junior IBU Cup.

The season's first Junior IBU Cup Mass Start 60 took place in Goms, Switzerland, where Ukraine's Dmytro Kriukov finished seventh, one step short of the flower ceremony. This marked a personal best for the athlete.

In total, six Ukrainian athletes took the start: Taras Tarasiuk had bib number six, Ivan Steblyna 22, Oleksandr Bilanenko 29, Dmytro Kriukov 31, Kyrylo Kulchynskyi — 34, and Kostiantyn Martseniuk — 56.

Mass Start 60 participants were selected based on the sprint races held Thursday and Saturday. At that time, the best-placed Ukrainian junior man was Taras Tarasiuk, who made the flower ceremony in both races.

Earlier still, Tetiana Tarasiuk won silver in the girls' first sprint, and in the second, four Ukrainian women finished in the top 20.

How the 2025/26 Season's First Mass Start 60 Went for Team Ukraine's Junior Men

  • Under Mass Start 60 rules, after the first lap of the course, the leading 30 racers head to the range for the prone stage, while the other 30 biathletes complete a second lap without shooting. The groups then swap places.
  • After the second shooting stage, which brought together every racer, the best-placed Ukrainian was Taras Tarasiuk — shooting clean, he left the range in sixth. Dmytro Kriukov, with two misses, was 22nd, while the rest of the Ukrainians fell outside the top 30.
  • At the third stage, Taras Tarasiuk missed twice at once, his first misses of the season at a firing range. Dmytro Kriukov, by contrast, shot clean. As a result, the two athletes ended up in the same group — at the 9.0 km mark, they held ninth and tenth place, respectively.
  • Dmytro also shot the final standing stage without a miss, while Taras added two more misses to his tally, dropping out of contention for the top 10. Kriukov finished seventh, trailing the last flower-ceremony finisher by 0.5 seconds, while Tarasiuk finished 13th.

Junior IBU Cup Stage in Goms. Mass Start 60, 12 km, Junior Men: Results

1. Camille Gratteloup-Manissol, France (0+0+0+1) 33:02.5

2. Enzo Bouiller, France (0+1+1+0) +5.2

3. David Elias, Czech Republic (0+1+0+1) +16.7

...

7. Dmytro Kriukov, Ukraine (1+1+0+0) +1:28.5

13. Taras Tarasiuk, Ukraine (0+0+2+2) +2:05.7

40. Oleksandr Bilanenko, Ukraine (1+3+2+4) +4:10.9

49. Ivan Steblyna, Ukraine (2+2+2+3) +5:23.6

54. Kyrylo Kulchynskyi, Ukraine (1+3+3+1) +5:35.5

57. Kostiantyn Martseniuk, Ukraine (3+2+2+0) +6:48.8

As a result, the best-placed Ukrainian in the overall Junior IBU Cup standings after the first stage was Taras Tarasiuk (7th). A bit further down, Dmytro Kriukov (19th).

Overall Junior IBU Cup 2025/26 Standings After the First Stage (Junior Men)

1. Thomas Marchl, Austria — 181 points

2. Matija Legović, Croatia — 174

3. Léo Carlier, France — 171

...

7. Taras Tarasiuk, Ukraine — 123

19. Dmytro Kriukov, Ukraine — 61

28. Ivan Steblyna, Ukraine — 34

32. Oleksandr Bilanenko, Ukraine — 27

40. Kyrylo Kulchytskyi, Ukraine — 12

Team Ukraine's junior men's next Junior IBU Cup race is the individual event, taking place December 18 in Italy's Val Martello.

DeTalks is covering Ukrainian athletes' results throughout the 2025/26 Junior IBU Cup season. Follow text coverage in the 'Pulse' section and news on the Telegram channel of the editorial team.

#Biathlon#Junior IBU Cup