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Belarus’ Smolskaya dominates sprint, Sola earns bronze at Commonwealth Cup

Dzinara Smolskaya. An archive photo of Belarus' NOC

MINSK, 4 December (BelTA) – The top athletes of the Belarusian women’s national biathlon team clinched podium finishes in the first race of the second stage of the Commonwealth Cup in Russia’s Khanty-Mansiysk, BelTA has learned.

The stage program opened with a women’s 7.5 km sprint, which featured 65 athletes, including seven Belarusians. Dzinara Smolskaya of Belarus clocked the best result of 22:51.9, hitting all her targets on both shooting ranges. She was pushed hard by Russia’s Irina Kazakevich, who took silver merely 0.5 seconds back. Belarus’ Hanna Sola rounded out the podium, crossing the line eight seconds after Smolskaya with one standing miss.

Another Belarusian athlete Alena Kulak also made it into the top twenty with 17th place, hitting all ten targets. Viktoriya Shashkova finished 27th, Kseniia Varabei placed 42nd, Irina Shakleina came right after her, and Hanna Pestsiarava was 58th. Last week in Khanty-Mansiysk, Smolskaya and Sola each claimed victory in the races of the first stage of the Russian Cup. On 5 December, the participants of the Commonwealth Cup will compete for medals in the mass start race. 

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