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After covering the last few meters of distance, Vytautas Strolia yell and raise your fist up as you cross the finish line. In the mixed relay competition of the European Biathlon Championship, the Lithuanian team was not included among the favorites, it only had 21 rankings among 22 teams, but finished in fourth position, the highest in the history of the country in the competition of this range.
All Lithuanian athletes appeared almost perfectly in their stages: Natalia Kochergina, Gabrielė Leščinskaitė, Karolis Dombrovskis and V. Strolia. The latter left the last shooter in sixth place, but edged out Austrian Patrick Jakob and Italian Patrick Braunhofer in the first kilometer of the decisive wheel. On the last lap, the Lithuanian recorded the best time.
N. Kočergina started the 4×6 km race, starting in the second relay on Sunday. Before that, along with Tomas Kaukėnas, he ranked eleventh in the mixed relay race. However, the athlete from Visaginas showed no fatigue on the track: he finished the sixth stage, the Swedish team that he has led since then was only 11.9 seconds away.
“I could say that in the second race I felt better, better sliding. My body is one that needs the greatest possible distance and the toughest wheel possible. I am happy with my performance, the relay race gives me adrenaline, I really like the contact fight. When I see an opponent, it gives me strength and confidence, “said N. Kočergina.
The biathlete saw the last moments of the competition on the track and did not doubt that V. Strolia would win fourth place for the team.
Final of the Lithuanian national team:
“Actually, I was hoping to be in the top six today, this fourth place is very good for me. When Vytautas slid to the last mountain, I screamed, – N. Kočergina laughed. “I knew Vytautas would hold out because he was the type of person he would die best on, but he would give it his all to the end.”
N.Kočergina was ranked 12th in the sprint competition, while G.Leščinskaitė was not in the top 60. The latter was perfectly rehabilitated in the relay race, capturing the seventh time in his stage. In the middle of the competition, Lithuania was in seventh place, just 25.1 seconds away.
“Didn’t Natalija’s successful start increase the tension? I feel a lot of tension every time there is a handover. Natalija’s performance didn’t surprise me too much, but it only added the motivation to focus and accept the situation as a challenge,” said G. Leščinskaitė.
The Lithuanian team used only five additional rounds during the competition and did not make a single lap. Only the Austrian and Czech teams shot more accurately. In terms of filming time, ours were fifth. Meanwhile, K. Dombrovskis was the only member of the team who did not call for a single shot: he finished the third stage in the fifth.
“When Gabrielė handed over the baton, the emotion was special, not like always. I tried to focus on my work and I was able to do it. The weather conditions were wonderful, they felt great and the result had to be good, said K. Dombrovskis. – It is unfortunate that we have not won a medal, no, because everyone did what they could, no one passed. The girls set a great tone, we just needed to maintain that. Thanks to them, the start was incredible, giving us extra adrenaline ”.
In the final stage, V. Strolia, lying down immediately, allowed the Austrian and Italian biathletes to separate, but closed all the targets in the decisive firing range and finished fourth. The champions became Norwegians, 30.7 sec. overtaking the Germans and 52.5 sec. – Ukrainians.
The Lithuanians were separated from the medal by 9.9 seconds.
“The girls did very well and when they handed over the baton to Karolis, I knew that today the competition would be really very interesting. Both Gabrielle and Natasha were surprised and there was less doubt about Charles. Before we started, the idea was that when there is an opportunity, it should be seized. Everything swam today, it was very lucky, it was a lot of fun, ”said V. Strolia happily.
At the end, the Lithuanian biathlete reacted no less emotionally than the competitors who took the podium.
“We do sports because there are such moments. I do not travel in all six every day, so I enjoyed the excitement. This beginning was an explosion of emotion, I am very happy for the team. The four of us can be happy, finally the coaches can be happy, the service, even if their work is not in vain, the whole biathlon family ”, smiled V. Strolia.
For the fourth place, the International Biathlon Union (IBU) team will receive 3,000 euros.
Lithuanian biathletes will not have time to celebrate: they now await a training camp in the highlands before the world championships to be held in Slovenia from February 10 to 21.
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