A day of 1-2 finishes in Pragelato

Biathlon is a sport in which the entire rankings can change in the last shooting round. Consistency over several races is therefore as crucial as it is difficult.

But this is exactly what the Polish women managed to achieve on Monday, 20 January in the 10 km pursuit of the 2025 Torino FISU World University Games en route to claiming gold and silver, the same positions they had taken two days before in the sprint. Ukraine was also able to celebrate a 1-2 finish in the men’s 12.5 race.

Barbara Skrobiszewska (37:40.6) and Amelia Liszka (38:10.6) started the women’s pursuit with bib numbers 1 and 2, and finished in the same order. The podium was completed by Ukrainian Chalyk Daryna (38:38.3).

Skrobiszewska was already waiting for her teammate at the finish line with a Polish flag. The two girls fell into each other’s arms and posed in front of the camera with the national pennant. “It’s unbelievable for me to be on the podium with Barbara. And now for the second time,” said Liszka after the race. Skrobiszewska was almost lost for words about what has happened over the last two days. “I’m just really happy”.

The winner, who studies at the Academy of Physical Education Katowice, achieved the biathlon double-double. Victory in the sprint and victory in the pursuit.

The Polish duo has combined to claim five medals so far in Torino. Space is slowly getting tight in their luggage. “It already starts in my room, I don’t have space anymore to put everything,” joked Skrobiszewska. Liszka added, “I’m more worried that my luggage will be too heavy for the baggage check at the airport.”

“Perfect day for Ukraine”

Earlier in the day, in the men’s event, Bohdan Borkovskyi (37:48.9) secured victory ahead of his compatriot Serhii Suprun (38:17.8), with Frenchman Paul Fontaine (38:22.2) close behind in third place. “It’s a perfect day for Ukraine and I’m delighted to be on the podium together with a friend,” said the victor, who studies at Sumy State University.

Oleksandra Merkushyna is also competing for Ukraine. After winning the gold medal alongside Suprun in the single mixed relay on 16 January, she just missed out on the podium in the pursuit, finishing in fourth place. “I had too many mistakes in the last shooting and so gave away my medal. A learning that I will take with me. Next time I will be smarter.”

The 20-year-old is not just a biathlete. She opened her own coffee shop in her home country this summer and is responsible for social media marketing. “I still need a job outside of sport. So there’s still a lot of work waiting for me at home. Maybe that will become my full-time job after my sporting career. We will see,” the Kharkiv State Academy of Physical Education student said with a smile.

The biathletes will conclude their Torino 2025 program with the mass start competitions on Wednesday, 22 January.

The take place from 13-23 January. Watch all the competitions live on fisu.tv. Click on the link to find the full schedule.

Written by Elena Häfliger, FISU Young Reporter, Switzerland

The Young Reporters Programme exemplifies FISU’s commitment to more than sports competitions. At every FISU World University Games, a group of talented aspiring sports journalists are chosen to cover the competition.

We warmly thank FISU Official Partner Qiaodan Ltd. which provides remarkable uniforms to FISU Family and International Technical Officials since 2015. Qiaodan is a valuable partner for FISU as it continued to provide its support during the postponement of events due to the global pandemic, and recently extended the relationship with FISU up to and including 2025.