Ukraine Finishes the 2025 Junior Biathlon World Championship in Ninth Place in the Relay: Championship Medal Table
Ukraine led at the race's midpoint, but lost its advantage.
The Junior Biathlon World Championship has wrapped up in Östersund, Sweden, running February 26 – March 4 across two age categories — juniors and youth. The world championship's final race was the men's junior relay, in which Team Ukraine finished ninth.
Team Ukraine's roster for the final relay of the 2025 Junior Biathlon World Championship included Serhii Suprun, Bohdan Borkovskyi, Mykhailo Khmil, and Volodymyr Aksiuta. A day earlier, the national junior women's team came just short of a medal in the equivalent race.
How the Final Junior Relay Went at the 2025 Junior Biathlon World Championship
- Ukraine started with bib number two — secured by Stepan Kinash, Bohdan Borkovskyi, Serhii Suprun, and Vitalii Mandzyn's 'silver' at the 2023/24 season's Junior World Championship.
- Serhii Suprun ran the first leg for Ukraine. The athlete started with three spare cartridges, which he used at the prone stage, falling more than 30 seconds behind the leader. But after clearing the second shooting range cleanly, the athlete came out in fourth place, holding that position through the end of his leg.
- Bohdan Borkovskyi set off on the second leg alongside Norway's representative, Sivert Gerhardsen. The athletes cleared the first shooting stage cleanly in sync, and later, made the same decision at the same moment heading into the final lap after the standing stage. The Ukrainian handed off the relay first.
- Mykhailo Khmil took to the course seven seconds ahead. The Ukrainian lost the lead to the second Norwegian on the lap, but held his ground after the prone stage — clearing it 'from six.' On the second lap, though, the Ukrainian lost 22 seconds to Håvard Tosterud, and after the second shooting range, immediately took two penalty laps.
- At the start of the final leg, Ukraine trailed first place by more than 2:30 minutes — running in fourth. After the prone stage, Volodymyr Aksiuta took two more penalty laps, letting four teams pass him at once. Heading into the final shooting stage, the biathlete was in ninth place, gained back one position after it, but ultimately finished ninth as well.
Norway won the race outright, using a total of 10 spare cartridges. Germany finished second, with a result of 0+10, and Poland took 'bronze' (0+15). Ukraine, meanwhile, covered a total of 600 extra meters and used 14 spare cartridges.
Junior Men's Relay. 2025 Junior World Championship in Östersund: Results
1. Norway (0+10) 1:20:43.0
2 .Germany (0+6) +19.5
3. Poland (0+15) +1:52.2
...
11. Ukraine (4+14) +3:28.6
As a result, the junior national team finished the 2024/25 international season in 11th place in the overall medal table for the competition in Östersund. Ukraine's only medal was brought by Oleksandra Merkushyna — 'bronze' in the mass start.
France won the medal race, with six gold medals, the same number of silver, and four bronze. Norway and Germany rounded out the top three.
2025 Junior Biathlon World Championship Overall Medal Table
- France — 16 medals (6 'gold' + 6 'silver' + 4 'bronze')
- Norway — 10 (6+2+2)
- Germany — 8 (3+5+0)
...
11. Ukraine — 1 (0+0+1)
For more news from the world of youth sports, check out material in the "Pulse" section.