Tetiana Tarasiuk Wins Silver at the 2026 Junior European Biathlon Championships Mass Start 60

This is Team Ukraine's third medal in Imatra.

Team Ukraine's biathlon squad has won its third medal at the Junior European Biathlon Championships, wrapping up in Imatra, Finland — Tetiana Tarasiuk claimed silver in the Mass Start 60, held on the final competition day, January 25.

Ahead of the closing races of the 2026 Junior European Championships, the national team already had two continental medals to its name. Taras and Tetiana Tarasiuk won gold in the single mixed relay, and in the mixed relay, Team Ukraine claimed bronze.

How the Girls' Final Race Went at the 2026 Junior European Biathlon Championships

• All seven Ukrainian representatives took the start line, beginning in the first group of 30 athletes. After the first prone stage, Tarasiuk, Sheihas, and Shevchenko emerged among the leaders. Khvostenko, Putsko, and Prykhodko took one penalty lap, while Khmil took three.
• Shooting cleanly at the standing stage, Tarasiuk, Shevchenko, Prykhodko, and Khvostenko continued fighting for position at the front of the pack. The rest of the Ukrainians, meanwhile, fell outside the top 20.
• With a clean shoot after the third firing range, Tetiana Tarasiuk became the race's sole leader, pulling 25 seconds ahead of her closest pursuer, Estere Volfa. Prykhodko, Khvostenko, and Shevchenko held their positions in the top 10.
• After a final flawless shoot, Tetiana Tarasiuk again emerged as the leader, holding more than a 10-second edge over Latvia's Volfa. But her rival did pull ahead of the Ukrainian on the final lap, leaving Tarasiuk in second. Valeriia Sheihas, meanwhile, made up ground on the course — sitting seventh after the final shoot, she ultimately finished fifth at the flower ceremony.

2026 Junior European Championships Mass Start 60, Girls, 9 km: Results

1. Estere Volfa, Latvia (0+1+0+0) 27:00.6

2. Tetiana Tarasiuk, Ukraine (0+0+0+0) +3.1

3. Greta Lindqvist Sjödahl, Sweden (0+1+1+0) +1:12.4

…

5. Valeriia Sheihas, Ukraine (0+2+1+0) +1:17.3

11. Viktoriia Khvostenko, Ukraine (1+0+1+1) +1:35.8

16. Iryna Shevchenko, Ukraine (0+0+1+1) +1:50.1

24. Kseniia Prykhodko, Ukraine (1+0+1+4) +2:33.4

35. Polina Putsko, Ukraine (1+2+1+2) +3:29.2

40. Alina Khmil, Ukraine (3+3+0+2) +3:48.8

As a result, following the European Championships, all seven Ukrainian representatives made the top 15 in the overall Junior IBU Cup standings, and Tetiana Tarasiuk led the rankings for the first time this season.

Overall Junior IBU Cup 2025/26 Standings After the Junior Europeans in Imatra (Girls)

1. Tetiana Tarasiuk, Ukraine — 472 points

2. Estere Volfa, Latvia — 451

3. Manca Kaserman, Slovenia — 426

...

6. Viktoriia Khvostenko, Ukraine — 321

7. Kseniia Prykhodko, Ukraine — 294

11. Iryna Shevchenko, Ukraine — 256

12. Valeriia Sheihas, Ukraine — 241

13. Alina Khmil, Ukraine — 235

14. Polina Putsko, Ukraine — 232

The Junior European Biathlon Championships' final race will be the boys' equivalent Mass Start 60, starting at 13:15 Kyiv time.

DeTalks is covering Ukrainian athletes' results at the 2026 Junior European Biathlon Championships. Follow text coverage in the 'Pulse' section and news on the editorial team's Telegram channel.