IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 2015-2016

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 1 Table of contents

4 President’s welcome

6 Media and broadcast contacts

7 About the sport

11 Looking ahead to 2015-16

13 Competition calendar 2015-16

14 Accreditation for competitions

16 Classification explained

18 Ones to Watch

62 Vital statistics

68 Participation

70 Medals tables

72 Sochi 2014 Paralympic medallists

80 World Championships medallists

88 World Cup standings

90 National Paralympic Committee contacts

92 Officials

92 Anti-doping

2 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 3 President’s welcome

Russia, Germany and Finland. Once again the biggest names in the sports will go head-to-head on some of the best trail systems in the world.

Most importantly the first Asian Cup will take place in PyeongChang, South Korea, as the sports expand in the region ahead of the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games. This will help raise the profile of those athletes who have entered into the World Cup top 10 for the first time in recent seasons, in their own territory.

In addition, the World Cup programme is Dear media representative, being expanded and will include a mara- thon for the first time. With this, the sport Welcome to the Media Guide for the is once again aiming to expand its appeal 2015-16 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country as well as responding to the wishes of the Skiing season. athlete community for yet more challen­ ging races. After the success of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games and the 2015 Cross-country skiing and biathlon has ex- World Championships, both of which perienced an upturn in interest in recent raised the bar in many areas for the sport, seasons and I hope that with the geo- the half-way point in the Paralympic cycle graphical expansion and their constantly is upon us. increasing competitiveness, the sports can continue to count on valuable column What the Worlds in Cable, Wisconsin, inches. USA, showed us is that the intense inter- est in para-cross country skiing and para- I hope you find the Media Guide useful, biathlon was carried over from Sochi and we would be interested in your feed- 2014. There was great media cover- back about what information we can in- age of the event, nationally and locally, clude in subsequent editions. and it was the most successful World Champion­ships in history in media and Thank you for your support, viewership terms. Regards

This season, the sports are aiming to con- tinue that interest and expand into new areas.

Six World Cups, three each in cross- Sir Philip Craven MBE country and biathlon, will take place in IPC President

4 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 5 Media and broadcast contacts About the sport

Lucy Dominy IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing homologation parameters (maximum IPC Sports Public Relations and Campaigns Manager governs and oversees competitions for slope, maximum climb and total climb, Telephone: +49 228 2097-159 para-athletes around the world. downhills and corners). Between skiing Email: [email protected] laps athletes enter the shooting range Competitions are open to male and fe- and have five shots to hit five targets male athletes with physical and visual which are located at a range distance of Eva Werthmann impairments. 10m. IPC Media Operations Manager Telephone: +49 228 2097-143 Athletes with a physical impairment Sit-ski and standing athletes shoot using Email: [email protected] compete either in the sitting or standing a precision air rifle with a five shot clip classes. Whilst the sports continues to and have to hit a black metal drop-down grow, most athletes compete in both target with a diameter of 13mm. A suc- Jose Manuel-Dominguez biathlon and cross-country but earn sep- cessful hit turns the target white while IPC Broadcast Manager arate World Cup points by discipline. missed targets remain black. Athletes Telephone: +49 228 2097-104 with visual impairment use electronic Email: [email protected] Biathlon rifles with ear phones and aim at a 21mm Biathlon combines cross-country skiing diameter target using acoustic signals, and marksmanship on the shooting range. which increase in intensity when the ath- IPC Biathlon includes five different event lete is on target. When an athlete hits the formats, three of which are used at World target the colour of the target turns green Championships and Paralympic Winter while missed targets turn red. Games: If an athlete misses a target they have to Biathlon sprint: Uses a 2km course for ski a penalty loop or receive a time pen­ women and a 2.5km course for men alty depending on the event. where competitors ski three laps with two shooting rounds for a total distance of For each missed target in the sprint and 6km and 7.5km. middle distance biathletes in the sit-ski class must ski a 100m penalty loop while Biathlon middle distance: Uses a 2km biathletes in the standing and visually im- and 2.5km course where skiers ski a total paired classes must ski a 150m penalty of five laps with four shooting rounds for a loop. In the individual event each miss is total race distance of 10km and 12.5km. penalised by a one minute penalty which is added to the biathlete’s total race time. Biathlon individual: Uses a 2.5km and 3.0km course where skiers ski a total of In each biathlon competition athletes five laps with four shooting rounds for a start at intervals of 30 seconds and the total race distance of 12.5km and 15km. athlete with the fastest total race time wins the competition. The most important All biathlon events are skied using free success factor lies in the capability of al- technique. Sit-skiers compete on differ- ternating the skills of physical endurance ent courses than the standing and visually and shooting accuracy with an elevated impaired athletes due to different heart rate during the competition.

6 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 7 Cross-country skiing Cross-country relay: Combines a 2.5km Skis, boots and poles consist of commer- History Cross-country skiing competition involves sit-ski course for classical technique and cially available cross-country ski equip- competition over a set course distance a 2.5km standing course for free tech- ment and are made from lightweight ma- Cross-country skiing first appeared at using either classical or free technique. nique. Relay teams consist of two, three terials such as fiberglass or carbon fibre. the 1976 inaugural Paralympic Winter The technique used alternates between or four athletes and must ski two classical Games in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. Men and major events and is balanced over the and two free technique laps in alterna- Different skis are used for classical tech- women used the classical technique in all World Cup season. tion. Teams may be mixed gender and nique and free technique. Classical skis cross-country distances until skating was may include a mixture of sit-ski, standing are typically longer than free technique introduced by athletes at the Innsbruck IPC Cross-country skiing includes five and visually impaired classes. The make- (skate) skis. They have an cambered 1984 Paralympic Winter Games. Since different event formats, four of which up of the team is governed by a maximum (arched) mid-section (wax pocket) that then, events have been split into two sep- are used at World Championships and percentage cap where the applicable allows for the application of grip wax that arate races: classical and free technique. Paralympic Winter Games: percentages for each athlete are added flattens and contacts the snow during The new technique, however, was not of- together. There are two relay events de- the downward push phase allowing the ficially used in a medal race until 1992 in Cross-country sprint: Uses an 800m signed to enable a maximum number of skier to propel forward. During the glide Albertville, France. course for sit-skiers and a 1.4km course athletes and countries with less than four phase the wax pocket raises above the for standing athletes. Athletes compete in athletes to compete. The mixed relay has snow allowing the skier to glide forward The Lillehammer 1994 Paralympic Winter an interval start qualification round where a cap of 330 per cent while the open relay on the glide wax applied to the tip and Games marked several other milestones they ski one lap. The fastest athletes has a cap of 370 per cent. the tail of the ski. Classic skiing occurs in in the history of Paralympic Nordic ski- subsequently compete head-to-head set tracks around the course and skating ing. Biathlon was introduced as a medal in semi-final heats of up to six athletes Equipment techniques are not allowed. event for men and women, and for the with the top three athletes in each heat Sit-ski: Sitting athletes use a sit-ski first time Nordic skiers competed at the moving on to the final heats. Due to the consisting of a custom lightweight seat Free technique skis are about 10cm to 15 same venue used for the Olympic Winter difference in impairments between ath- and frame attached to a pair of cross- cm shorter than classic skis which pro- Games. letes the heats use a staggered hunting country skis and use ski poles for pro- vide for greater manoeuvrability. They are start where athlete’s begin at varying pulsion. The sit-ski includes strapping to also cambered but are generally stiffer intervals based on their individual class keep the skier firmly attached into/onto than classical skis and are waxed with and the fastest qualifying time. The skiers the seat allowing them to apply maximum glide wax along their entire length. Pro- with the highest level of impairment start force while poling and to assist them pulsion comes from sideways pushes and first and are pursued by the athletes with in navigating corners and downhills on poling action. lower levels of impairments, so that all the course. Equipment rules govern the athletes should reach the finish line at maximum height of the seat above the ski about the same time with the first across and strapping requirements, but many the line winning the race. different custom configurations exist de- Follow us: pending on an individual athlete’s size Cross-country middle distance: Uses a and impairment. @IPCNordic 2.5km or 5km course where women ski 5km and men ski 10km. Ski: Standing athletes ski with two skis IPCNordicSking and may use one, two or no ski poles Cross-country long distance: Uses a depending on upper-limb impairments. www.ipc-crosscountryskiing.org 3km, 4km, or 5km course where sit-ski Athletes with visual impairment compete www.ipc-biathlon.org women ski 12km and men 15km, and together with a sighted guide. standing and visually impaired women ski 15km and men 20km respectively.

8 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 9 Looking ahead to 2015-16

With the first Asian Cup races scheduled Less than one month later, between for PyeongChang, South Korea, the geo­ 15-20 March, para-Nordic skiers will graphical reach of cross-country and travel to the familiar trails of Vuokatti, Fin- biathlon has never been so great. land, once again, where the cross-country marathon will be included on World Cup Additionally when a 20km marathon for programme for the first time. sit-skiers and a 30km version for standing and visually impaired athletes are added IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing’s to the World Cup programme, there will aim of developing in Asia will receive a be one more opportunity for skiers to boost between 28 January-1 February, show the world their increasing might. with both cross-country and biathlon part of the Asian Cups in PyeongChang. The World Cup trophy will be the target of all skiers in 2015-16, at the half-way point North American (NorAm) Cups in both between Paralympic Winter Games. cross-country and biathlon will be staged in Craftsbury, Vermont, USA, from 6-10 From 2-9 December, the well-renowned January, to follow from the country’s trails of Tyumen, Russia, will host the hosting of the 2015 World Champion- first cross-country and biathlon World ships. Cup races. Here, the dominance of home skiers is likely to be laid bare as they look Completing the calendar is the world fam­ to retain their grasp on para-Nordic ski- ous marathon race in Khanty-Mansiysk, ing. Russia, over 25km on 9 April, where para- athletes can enter for the second year The World Cup season continues in Fin- running. sterau from 21-28 February, again with cross-country and biathlon racing in south-east Germany.

10 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 11 Competition calendar 2015-16

Where differences in distances appear (e.g. sprint C 0.8km/1.2km), the longer distance Level, Location, Date Programme Programme applies to standing and visually impaired skiers and the shorter distance to sit-skiers. discipline Country (Women) (Men) Asia Cup – Pyeong- 28 January - Sprint 6km, Sprint 7.5km, Distances that athletes compete in across cross-country and biathlon will depend on the Biathlon Chang, South 1 February middle 10km middle 12.5km availability of courses at each location, and is why at some competitions two distances Korea are listed. World Cup – Finsterau, 21-28 February Long C Long C C denotes classic Cross-country Germany 12km/15km, 15km/20km, F denotes free sprint F relay 0.8km/1.2km, 2.5km/2.5km, relay sprint F 2.5km/2.5km 0.8km/1.2km Level, Location, Date Programme Programme World Cup – Finsterau, 21-28 February Individual Individual discipline Country (Women) (Men) Biathlon Germany 12.5km sprint 15km, sprint World Cup – Tyumen, 2-9 December Short/middle C Short/Middle 6km, middle 7.5km, middle Cross-country Russia 2.5km/7.5km*, C 5km/10km, 10km 12.5km long F long F World Cup – Vuokatti, 15-20 March Sprint C Sprint C 12km/15km, 15km/20km, Cross-country Finland 0.8km/1.2km, 0.8km/1.2km, sprint F sprint F marathon C marathon C 0.8km/1.2km 0.8km/1.2km 20km/30km, 20km/30km, World Cup – Tyumen, 2-9 December Individual Individual middle F middle F Biathlon Russia 12.5km, sprint 15km, sprint 5km/7.5km 7.5km/10km 6km, pursuit 7.5km, pursuit World Cup – Vuokatti, 15-20 March Sprint 6km, Sprint 7.5km, 10km 12.5km Biathlon Finland individual individual 15km IPCNS** Lviv, Ukraine 16-21 December Middle C 5km, Middle C 10km, 12.5km Cross-country middle F 5km, sprint 1km, IPCNS – Kanty Mansi- 9 April Marathon F Marathon F sprint F 1km middle F 10km Cross-country ysk, Russia 25km 25km IPCNS Biathlon Lviv, Ukraine 16-21 December Short 6km, Short 7.5km, middle 10km middle 12.5km NorAm Cup – Craftsbury, 6-10 January Middle F Middle F ** IPCNS stands for IPC Nordic Skiing. These races are an opportunity for up-and- Cross-country Vermont, USA 5km, short C 10km, short C coming skiers to gain race points that contribute towards the world rankings, as well 2.5km, sprint C 5km, sprint C as for established skiers. 0.8km/1.2m 0.8km/1.2Km NorAm Cup – Craftsbury, 6-10 January Sprint 6km, Sprint 7.5km, Biathlon Vermont, USA individual individual 15km 12.5km Asia Cup – Pyeong- 28 January - 1 Sprint C Sprint C Cross-country Chang, South February 0.8km/1.2km, 0.8km/1.2km, Korea short/middle F short/middle F 2.5km/7.5km 5km/10km

12 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 13 Accreditation for competitions

Media accreditation and access for World Cup competitions can be obtained through the local organisers for each event.

World Cup Name Contact Tyumen, Russia Anna Tarasenko [email protected]

Finsterau, Germany Stefan Schuster [email protected]

Vuokatti, Finland Heidi Lehikoinen [email protected]

14 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 15 Classification explained

Classification provides a structure for Sport class LW 4: Skiers in this sport Sitting Visually impaired competition. Athletes competing in class include those with impairments in All sit-skiers have an impairment affect- Sport class B1: Skiers in this sport class Paralympic sports have an impairment the lower parts of one leg, but with less ing their legs. They are allocated different are either blind or have very low visual that leads to a competitive disadvantage impact on skiing compared to LW 2. Typ- sport classes depending on their trunk acuity. By way of explanation, their level in sport. ical examples are amputations above the control, which is very important for accel- of visual acuity is such that the athlete ankle or loss of muscle control in one leg. eration and balancing during the races. cannot recognise the letter “E” (15x15cm Consequently, a system has to be put in size) from a distance of 25cm. During in place to minimise the impact of im- Skiers with arm impairments: Sport class LW 10: Skiers have an impair- the race they wear eyeshades. pairments on sport performance and to Sport class LW 5/7: This sport class is ment that limits their leg and trunk func- ensure the success of an athlete is deter- designated for athletes with impairments tion. They would be unable to sit without Sport class B2: This sport class includes mined by skill, fitness, power, endurance, in both arms that prohibit them to use ski supporting himself or herself with their athletes with a higher visual acuity than tactical ability and mental focus, much poles. Skiers, for example, have no hands arms, for example due to paraplegia. athletes competing in the B1 class, but like able-bodied sports. This system is or cannot grip firmly. Therefore, you will they are unable to recognise the letter “E” called classification. see them skiing without poles. Sport class LW 10.5: Skiers in this sport from a distance of 4m. Moreover, athletes class also have limited trunk control, but with a visual field of less than 10 degrees Classification determines who is eligible Sport class LW 6: Athletes competing in they can keep their sitting balance when diameter are eligible for this sport class. to compete in a Paralympic sport and it the LW 6 sport class have a significant im- not moving sideways. groups the eligible athletes in sport classes pairment in one arm, for example a miss- Sport class B3: The B3 sport class profile according to their activity limitation in a ing arm above the elbow. The impaired Sport class LW 11: Skiers have a leg im- describes the least severe visual impair- certain sport. arm is fixed to their body and may not pairment and fair trunk control, which en- ment eligible for Nordic skiing. Eligible be used during the races. With the other ables them to balance even when moving athletes either have a restricted visual Sport classes hand they will use a ski pole. sideways. field of less than 40 degrees diameter or In Nordic skiing, athletes are grouped a low visual acuity. together into sitting, standing and visually Sport class LW 8: Skiers in this sport Sport class LW 11.5: Skiers in this sport impaired classifications. class have moderate impairments affect- class have near to normal trunk control. For B1 skiers a guide is obligatory and B2 ing one arm. Athletes, for example, can- and B3 skiers may choose to ski with a A real-time calculated timing system, not flex the elbow or fingers on one side Sport class LW 12: Skiers in this sport guide. developed over many years, is used to en- or they have a below elbow amputation. class have impairments similar to those sure that athletes with different types of They will use one ski pole only. described for sport classes LW 2-4: They The guide skis immediately ahead of the impairment grouped into the same sport have a leg impairment, but normal trunk athlete and verbally informs the athlete of class can compete together fairly. Skiers with combined arm and leg control. They are eligible to compete course specifics such as corners, inclines, impairments: standing or sitting and can chose their and declines. In biathlon, athletes with Standing preferred way of skiing at their first clas- visual impairment shoot at the target by Sport class LW 9: This sport class is de- sification. following sound signals. Skiers with leg impairments: signed for skiers who have an impairment Sport class LW 2: The skiers have an im- in their arms and legs. Some of the LW9 pairment affecting one leg, for example skiers have mild coordination problems in LW stands for Locomotor Winter an amputation above the knee. They will all extremities. Others have amputations use a prosthesis and ski with two skis. affecting one arm and one leg. Depending on their abilities, they will ski with one or Sport class LW 3: This sport class in- two ski poles. cludes skiers with an impairment in both legs, such as muscle weakness in both legs.

16 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 17 Ones to Watch – Women

18 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 19 One to Watch – Sitting: Mariann Marthinsen Name: Mariann Marthinsen 2011-12 IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup

1 2 3 Country: Norway Overall winner

Date of Birth: 9 September, 1984

Born: Stord, Norway Biography As one of Norway’s most prolific para- Classification:Sitting athletes, Marthinsen has achieved suc- cess at Paralympic Games in both swim- Instagram: mariannvm ming and cross-country skiing. Splitting her time between training, com- peting and social work, the Norwegian Career highlights: competed at three summer Paralympic 2015 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country World Games between 2004 and 2012. At Bei- Championships jing 2008, Marthinsen won bronze in the 100m backstroke S8 and also medalled S 1km sprint classic cross-country at the World Championships in 2006 in 5km classic and 12km free cross- the same event. B country and Bronze 4 x 2.5km mixed Marthinsen, who had her right leg ampu- cross-country relay tated at the age of two following a road 2014-15 IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup traffic accident, was also the holder of 13 world records in the water between 2003 1 2 3 Overall second and 2007. Her first Paralympic Winter Games experi­ Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games ence came at Vancouver 2010, when she secured three top 10 finishes in the three G 1km sprint classic cross-country events she entered. From there, two years after she first tried B 4 x 2.5km mixed cross-country relay skiing in 2008, Marthinsen began to 2013-14 IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup focus increasingly on winter sport. Her

1 2 3 determin­ation paid off in the 2011-12 Overall third season, when she finished on top of the World Cup rankings in her first competi- 2013 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country World Championships tive season on snow, after winning seven World Cup races. S 12km classic and 5km classic Since then Marthinsen has finished in cross-country the top three every season. Capping it B 1km sprint classic cross-country all off, in the last two years, she became a Paralympic champion at Sochi 2014 2012-13 IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup and won her latest World Championships

1 2 3 medals. Had it not been for her sit-ski Overall second breaking in the 5km race in Sochi which cost her a two second lead, Marthinsen was also in line for a second Paralympic gold.

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 21 One to Watch – Sitting: Oksana Masters

Name: Oksana Masters Masters started rowing when she was 14 years old, some years after being adopted Country: USA by a US woman.

Date of Birth: 19 June, 1989 Soon after her medal-winning perform­ ance with rowing partner Rob Jones on Born: Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine the river at Eton Dorney, which propelled her to national fame and an appearance Classification:Sitting in ESPN’s The Body Issue, the 25-year- old decided a change of sport was needed Twitter: @OksanaMasters and set about learning Nordic skiing.

Instagram: oksanamasters In 2013, she was named to the US Paralympics Nordic Skiing Development Team. Career highlights 2015 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing After an incredibly successful first season World Championships on the IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup circuit in 2013-14, finishing as world S 5km classic cross-country No.6, Masters got her ticket to Sochi 2014. B 1km sprint cross-country

2014-15 IPC Cross-Country World Cup At the Laura Cross-Country and Biathlon Centre, high above the city of Sochi, Mas- 1 2 3 Overall winner ters beat the likes of world No.1 and world No.2 Andrea Eskau of Germany and Nor- Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games way’s Mariann Marthinsen to claim silver in the women’s 12km free cross-country S 12km free cross-country sitting. She also won bronze in the 5km classic. B 5km classic cross-country To round off a whirlwind couple of sea- sons, Masters got the chance to compete Biography at home at the 2015 World Champion- After winning rowing bronze at London ships, where she won a silver and bronze 2012, Masters decided to swap her oars medal in cross-country events. and the summer sun for ski poles and snow. Into 2015-16, Masters is likely to turn her focus onto training in rowing once again Originally from Ukraine, Masters as she seeks a place at the Rio 2016 well-documented life story includes being Paralympic Games. Her skiing however exposed to radiation from the infamous will help her train and focus on her sum- Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion, mer sport aspirations as well. and sent to live in an orphanage after being born with limb impairments.

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 23 One to Watch – Sitting: Anja Wicker

Name: Anja Wicker Biography Wicker took up Nordic skiing in 2006 Country: Germany at the tender age of 15 and has barely looked back since. Date of Birth: 22 December, 1991 With her father as her personal coach, the Born: Stuttgart, Germany German Paralympic champion is still in her early twenties. But with role models Classification:Sitting such as multiple Paralympic medallist Andrea Eskau on the team, it is not hard Instagram: anjawicker to see where Wicker gets her motivation from.

Career highlights Wicker dabbles in cross-country skiing 2014-15 IPC Biathlon World Cup but it is biathlon where her real talent lies. She is a multiple World Cup podium fin- 1 2 3 Overall winner isher and every season will watch her flag raised on more than one occasion. Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games Her best finish at a World Championships G 10km biathlon came in 2013 when Wicker grabbed sil- ver in the 6km biathlon. Clearly she was S 12.5km biathlon preparing herself for something bigger, 2013 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing as just a year later Wicker climbed onto World Championships the top step of the podium at her first Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi. S 6km biathlon

2011-12 IPC Biathlon World Cup Wicker has also competed on the inter- national cycling stage for Germany, a 1 2 3 Overall third tactic used by many Nordic skiers to keep themselves in shape during the summer months.

Returning in 2015-16 as the defending biathlon World Cup champion, Wicker will face fellow Paralympic champion Marta Zaynullina, who finished second on the circuit last season and on the same po­ dium as Wicker in Sochi.

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 25 One to Watch – Standing: Iryna Bui

Name: Iryna Bui Biography Born in 1995, standing skier Iryna Bui Country: Ukraine is one of the youngest athletes compet- ing on the international biathlon and Date of Birth: 2 May, 1995 cross-country circuits.

Born: Ukraine At her first World Championships in 2013, Bui made the most of her experience, Classification:Standing picking up five medals including her first World Championship golds. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Iryna-Bui- Bui’s gold medal victory was especially %D0%98%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B- noteworthy as she defeated double IPC D%D0%B0-%D0%91%D1%83%D0 Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World %B9-552760688134422/ Cup champion Anna Milenina of Russia by over a minute to claim the top spot.

Career highlights Bui has also maintained a successful set 2015 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing of appearances at the World Cup level, World Championships finishing in the top 10 of the IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Cups B 10km biathlon in for each of the past two years, and in biathlon in 2013-14. 2014-15 IPC Biathlon World Cup

1 2 3 Overall third Russian Alena Kaufman and Ukraine’s Oleksandra Kononova will fight hard for 2013 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing glory against Bui in 2015-16. World Championships 10km biathlon and 7.5km classic G cross-country 12.5km biathlon, 15km free and 1km S sprint classic cross-country

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 27 One to Watch – Standing: Oleksandra Kononova

Name: Oleksandra Kononova 2011 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Championships Country: Ukraine 7.5km and 12.5km biathlon, 1km sprint G classic and 15km free cross-country Date of Birth: 27 February, 1991 S 5km and 3 x 2.5km cross-country relay Born: Kiev, Ukraine B 3km biathlon Classification:Standing 2010 Paralympic Winter Games

G 12.5km biathlon, 1km sprint and 5km Career highlights classic cross-country 2015 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing S 3 x 2.5km cross-country relay World Championships 6km, 10km and 12.5km biathlon, 15km G free, 1km sprint classic, 5km classic cross-country Biography Oleksandra Kononova has gone from ad- S 4 x 2.5km relay cross-country events miring people on roller-skis as a teenager 2014-15 IPC Biathlon World Cup to one of Ukraine’s best Nordic skiers. As the youngest member of the team at 1 2 3 Overall first Vancouver 2010 at just 19-years-old, she picked up three golds in the women’s 2014-15 IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup 12.5km biathlon, 1km sprint and 5km 1 2 3 classic cross-country. Overall third In the following year at her second World Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games Championships, she added one more gold to that tally in biathlon. G 12.5km biathlon Abandoned by her parents as a baby and raised by her grandmother, a bone infec- S 10km biathlon tion in her right hand caused a reduction in growth that worsened as she grew B 5km free cross-country older. At Sochi 2014, Kononova won 12.5km 2013 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing biathlon gold yet again, whilst also win- World Championships ning silver in the 10km biathlon and 5km G 7.5km classic cross-country free cross-country. Last season she followed that up with S 15km free cross-country an incredible six world titles across cross-country and biathlon. 6km and 10km biathlon and 1km sprint Her competition includes Ukrainian Iryna B classic cross-country Bui and Canada’s Brittany Hudak, her fel- low top three finishers in the biathlon and cross-country world rankings last year.

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 29 One to Watch – Standing: Helene Ripa

Name: Helene Ripa Biography After her leg was amputated above the Country: Sweden knee in 1986 due to cancer, Ripa initially swam competitively for her country at the Date of Birth: 22 August, 1971 Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games.

Born: Stockholm, Sweden But in just three seasons on the competi­ tive Nordic skiing circuit, Ripa has won Classification:Standing gold at a Paralympic Winter Games and has medalled at two World Champion- Instagram: heleneripa ships.

Twitter: @HeleneRipa Having debuted in 2012, the Swede went on to win the 1km sprint classic world title Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ on home snow in only her second major helene.ripa?fref=ts international competition. The following season, Ripa was to come second at the World Cup Finals in Sochi, Russia, giving Career highlights her rivals an indication of what they could 2015 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing expect on the same trails just over one World Championships year later.

S 1km sprint classic cross-country Ripa, a graphic designer by trade, origin­ ally tried Nordic skiing in 2006 when she B 5km classic cross-country was on holiday. Encouraged by her hus- Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games band, she eventually found a prosthetic that felt good enough and decided to go G 15km classic cross-country for the Paralympic dream once again.

S 4 x 2.5km mixed cross-country relay It was indeed at Sochi 2014 that Ripa really began to shine. Beating Ukrainian 2013 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Paralympic silver medallist Iullia Batenk- World Championships ova into first place by a fraction of a sec- G 1km sprint classic cross-country ond in the 15km classic, Ripa had firmly made her mark on the women’s standing B 5km classic cross-country field.

In 2015-16 Ripa will go for World Cup suc- cess to add to her Worlds and Paralympic medals, having not yet finished in the top three.

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 31 One to Watch – Visually impaired: Iuliia Budaleeva

Name: Iuliia Budaleeva 12.5km and 1km sprint classic B cross-country Country: Russia 2012-13 IPC Biathlon World Cup

1 2 3 Date of Birth: 13 November, 1990 Overall second

2012-13 IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup Classification:Visually impaired 1 2 3 Overall third

Career highlights 2011-12 IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup

2015 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing 1 2 3 Overall third World Championships 6km, 10km and 12.5km biathlon and G 15km free cross-country

S 5km classic cross-country Biography On her international debut in 2011, Bu- B 1km sprint classic cross-country daleeva stormed to four podium finishes across cross-country and biathlon at a Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games World Cup in Norway. G 12.5km biathlon That same season she took overall third in the cross-country World Cup, showing S 6km and 10km biathlon the world that she would be the woman to watch with her home Paralympic Games B 5km free cross-country fast approaching. Living in Tyumen, a well-known centre 2014-15 IPC Biathlon World Cup of national excellence of Nordic skiing in 1 2 3 Overall winner Russia, has helped Budaleeva and guide Tatiana Maltseva to perfect their tech- 2014-15 IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup niques over just four seasons. There is also no doubt that Budaleeva is 1 2 3 Overall winner spurred on in her training by her husband and teammate Stanislav Chokhlaev, him- 2013-14 IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup self a Paralympic and Worlds medallist of 1 2 3 Overall second the highest order. Last season, to follow on from her first 2013-14 IPC Biathlon World Cup Paralympic gold in 2014, Budaleeva won her inaugural world titles and finished the 1 2 3 Overall second season atop both the cross-country and biathlon World Cup rankings. 2013 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing In 2015-16 Budaleeva will be hoping to World Championships continue her dominance on the World S 6km, 10km and 12.5km biathlon and Cup circuit, where she has finished in the 12.5km free cross-country top three 42 times in 53 races.

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 33 One to Watch – Visually impaired: Mikhalina Lysova

Name: Mikhalina Lysova Biography: Since making her international debut in Country: Russia 2007, Lysova has emerged as one of the elite Nordic skiers in the world; and she Date of Birth: 29 March, 1992 is showing no signs of slowing down any­ time soon. Born: Nizhny Tagil, Russia Lysova rose to prominence at the Van- Classification:Visually impaired couver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, her first Paralympics, when she captured five medals, one gold, two silver and two Career highlights bronze. Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games Since then, Lysova has made her mark 6km and 10km biathlon and sprint free at the IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country G cross-country Skiing World Championships. In 2011 12.5km biathlon, 5km free and 15km and 2013 she captured 13 medals, 10 of S classic cross-country them gold. 2013 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Championships On the World Cup circuit, Lysova won the 6km, 10km and 12.5km biathlon and 2012-13 overall cross-country title while G 1km sprint classic and 5km classic finishing second in biathlon. cross-country 2011 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Her form continued into 2013-14 with World Championships another overall win in biathlon, as well 3km, 10km, 12.5km biathlon and as a rock-steady third place in the cross- G 1km sprint free and 3 x 2.5km open country World Cup which she repeated in cross-country relay 2014-15. S 7.5km biathlon and 5km classic and 15km free cross-country Competition for Lysova and guide Alexey Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games Ivanov comes in the form of two team- mates – Paralympic champion Elena G 3 x 2.5km cross-country relay Remizova and multiple world champion 1km sprint and 5km classic cross- Iuliia Budaleeva. S country

B 3km and 12.5km biathlon

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 35 One to Watch – Visually impaired: Elena Remizova

Name: Elena Remizova S 1km sprint classic cross-country

Country: Russia B 6km and 12.5km biathlon Date of Birth: 25 September, 1986 2011 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Championships Born: Petukhovo, Russia 5km classic, 15km classic and 3 x G 2.5km team relay open cross-country Classification:Visually impaired and 7.5km biathlon B 3km biathlon Career highlights 2015 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Championships Biography Since she began skiing at the age of nine, 1km sprint classic, 4 x 2.5km relay and G 5km classic cross-country Elena Remizova has put her focus on representing her country at international S 12.5km biathlon competitions and made a huge impact at Sochi 2014 with three gold medals. B 10km biathlon At the 2011 IPC Biathlon and Cross- Country Skiing World Championships 2014-15 IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, Remizova 1 2 3 Overall second captured five medals, including four gold medals and a bronze across biathlon and 2014-15 IPC Biathlon World Cup cross-country skiing.

1 2 3 On the World Cup circuits, Remizova has Overall third continued her reign over her opponents. In 2011-12 she pulled off an incredible Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games feat by winning the overall titles in the IPC G 5km free, 15km classic and 4 x 2.5km Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World mixed relay cross-country Cup. S 1km sprint classic cross-country Last season saw the super-star finish in the top three in both the cross-country 2013-14 IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup and biathlon World Cups for the fourth 1 2 3 consecutive season, adding to her No.1 Overall winner finish from 2013-14. 2013-14 IPC Biathlon World Cup Contributing to her already impressive medal haul, Remizova stormed to another 1 2 3 Overall third five medals at the 2015 World Champion- ships repeating her achievements from 2013 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing the 2013 and 2011 editions. World Championships Along with guide Natalia Yakimova, Rem- G 15km classic and mixed team relay izova was one of many Russians to land cross-country on the podium in Sochi.

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 37 Ones to Watch – Men

38 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 39 One to Watch – Sitting: Martin Fleig

Name: Martin Fleig Biography Fleig enjoyed his best ever season Country: Germany in 2014-15, winning his first World Champion­ships medals and finishing Date of Birth: 15 October, 1989 overall third in the biathlon World Cup.

Born: Gundelfingen, Germany The German had achieved podium suc- cess on the World Cup circuit in previous Classification:Sitting seasons, but three top three placings helped him on his way to his best ever Facebook: finish. https://www.facebook.com/Martin-Fleig­- 231975210170268/ He was also successful at the Worlds, taking on a hugely competitive field that included Russia’s six-time Paralympic Career highlights champion Roman Petushkov. Fleig fought 2015 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing his way through the pack to firmly position World Championships himself amongst the best in the world.

B 12.5km biathlon An almost life-long skier, Fleig began skiing at the age of nine and began com­ 2014-15 IPC Biathlon World Cup peting just two years later at the tender 1 2 3 Overall third age of 11. His senior international debut for Germany came in 2006.

In 2015-16 Petushkov will likely be back to his best having taken some time off during 2014 to recover from his Paralym- pic Games exploits.

Fleig will be aiming to challenge the dom- inance of the Russian and improve on his World Cup ranking.

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 41 One to Watch – Sitting: Chris Klebl

Name: Chris Klebl Biography Canada’s Chris Klebl completed a shock Country: Canada victory at Sochi 2014, crossing the men’s 10km classic cross-country sitting finish Date of Birth: 5 January, 1972 line to rob Russian rival Roman Petushkov of his seventh gold medal of the Games. Born: Düsseldorf, Germany His performance was an incredible up- Classification:Sitting turn in form, having finished far away from the medals at the 2013 IPC Biathlon Twitter: @chrisklebl and Cross-Country Skiing World Cham- pionships in Solleftea, Sweden, just 12 Instagram: chrisklebl months before.

After finishing on the podium in the Career highlights cross-country World Cup five times in 2014-15 IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup 2014-15, Klebl claimed third place in the rankings and will be going for more of the 1 2 3 Overall third same in 2015-16.

Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games Klebl was born in Germany as a US citi- zen, competing for the USA at Turin 2006 G 10km classic cross-country and Vancouver 2010. In 2011, he made 2011 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing the switch to Canada for which he will try World Championships to continue his rise up the rankings. G 15km free cross-country

S 1km classic sprint cross-country

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 43 One to Watch – Sitting: Kozo Kubo

Name: Kozo Kubo Since Vancouver, Kubo has built an ex- tensive resume at the World Cup level. Country: Japan In the 2011-12 IPC Biathlon World Cup season, Kubo finished in second place in Date of Birth: 28 May, 1978 the overall rankings.

Born: Japan The next year, Kubo left his opponents in the dust, claiming the 2012-13 IPC Biath- Classification:Sitting lon overall World Cup title.

In 2013-14, Kubo achieved five podium Career highlights finishes in order to take second in the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games men’s biathlon sitting overall rankings behind Russian Roman Petushkov. In the B 7.5km biathlon World Cup, he finished fifth in biathlon and eighth in cross-country. 2012-13 IPC Biathlon World Cup

1 2 3 Overall winner Kubo made the most of the 2013 World Championships capturing two silvers and 2013 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing a gold medal. World Championships In Kubo’s other winter sport, cross- 15km biathlon G country skiing, he has made great strides, rising from 20th in the 2011-12 World S Silver: 7.5km and 12.5km biathlon Cup to being ranked eighth in the 2014- 15 edition. B 15km free cross-country

2011-12 IPC Biathlon World Cup In his spare time, Kubo has turned a part-

1 2 3 time interest in wheelchair racing into a Overall second full-blown bid to qualify and win medals at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

A bronze medal at Sochi 2014 will likely Biography be spurring Kubo on to improve his ski- Kubo has steadily become a force to be ing in 2015-16 against Russian biathlete reckoned with on the Nordic skiing scene. Roman Petushkov.

He represented Japan at Vancouver 2010, earning top 10 finishes in the biath- lon and just finishing a few minutes shy of the gold medallists in each race.

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 45 One to Watch – Sitting: Roman Petushkov

Name: Roman Petushkov Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games

15km classic cross-country Country: Russia S B 12.5km biathlon Date of Birth: 20 February 1978 2009 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Born: Dmitrov, Russia World Championships

Classification:Sitting S 3km pursuit biathlon

12.5km biathlon Instagram: romanpetushkov B

Career highlights Biography 2015 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Russia’s Roman Petushkov made history­ World Championships at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, becoming the most decorated S 4 x 2.5km cross-country relay single athlete by winning five individual and one relay gold across cross-country Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games and biathlon. 7.5km, 12.5km and 15km biathlon, After losing both his legs in a car accident in G 1km sprint, 15km free and 4 x 2.5km cross-country relay 2006, Petushkov was introduced to para- Nordic skiing and had made his inter­ 2013-14 IPC Biathlon World Cup national debut by 2007. 1 2 3 Overall winner Petushkov’s breakthrough came at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter 2013-14 Cross-Country Skiing World Cup Games where he captured a silver medal in cross-country skiing and a bronze 1 2 3 Overall winner medal in biathlon. Fittingly, the Russian skier captured his 2013 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing first World Championship gold medal at World Championships the 2011 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country 12.5km biathlon, 15km classic, Skiing World Championships in Khanty- G 5km classic and 1km sprint classic Mansiysk, Russia, in the 2.4km pursuit cross-country biathlon event. S 15km biathlon Petushkov captured the overall World Cup titles in both biathlon and cross-country B 7.5km biathlon during the same season. 2012-13 brought more of the same as 2011 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing he asserted his dominance at the 2013 World Championships World Championships, winning six medals G 2.4km biathlon including four golds. He will be the athlete everyone is looking towards during the 2015-16 World Cup season.

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 47 One to Watch – Sitting: Andrew Soule

Name: Andrew Soule His sporting achievements are not the only time Soule had shown his commit- Country: USA ment to his country.

Date of Birth: 2 January, 1980 After the September 11 attacks, Soule joined the US Army. Shortly after he com- Born: Madrid, Spain pleted basic training, he was deployed to Afghanistan. In 2005 an improvised ex- Classification:Sitting plosive device detonated next to Soule’s vehicle and both his legs were blown off. Twitter: ASouleUSA Not wanting to put his marksmanship skills to waste, Soule initially attended a Career highlights cross-country skiing recruitment camp 2015 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing that same year and also caught on to bi- World Championships athlon. 10km classic cross-country, 7.5km and S 15km biathlon He also tried alpine skiing, finishing 12th in the World Cup in 2008-2009, but set- 15km free and 1km sprint classic tled on Nordic skiing. B cross-country 2014-15 IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup After taking two years out to study follow- 1 2 3 ing his exploits at Vancouver 2010, Soule Overall winner had some catching up to do. Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games In the wake of being awarded the 2014 B 2.4km biathlon Paralympic Winter Games, the Russians had built a strong Nordic skiing pro- gramme that had begun to bear fruit in the form of Roman Petushkov, amongst Biography others. In Sochi, that meant Soule just At the 2015 World Championships Soule missed out on medals with two fourth became the most decorated US skier in place finishes in biathlon. history, leaving the competition with five medals. His achievements were made But Soule showed his mettle in 2014-15, even sweeter by the fact they had been finally coming to the fore across both won on home snow. cross-country and biathlon once again.

Those three silver and one bronze The coming season will see him focus on medal crowned a season in which Soule gaining World Cup points to improve on achieved his best ever World Cup finish. his third place, as he looks towards his He also became the first skier from his third Paralympic Winter Games in 2018 country to win a Paralympic medal in bi- and potentially breaking the Russian athlon back at Vancouver 2010. dominance.

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 49 One to Watch – Standing: Mark Arendz

Name: Mark Arendz Arendz has been a member of Canada’s senior para-Nordic ski team for nearly a Country: Canada decade and graduated from the University of Calgary after completing his studies in Date of Birth: 5 March, 1990 human movement. Arendz’s Paralympic debut was on home Born: Charlottetown, Canada soil at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. Competing in five events, Classification:Standing he claimed three top 10 finishes. Since his Paralympic debut, Arendz has Twitter: @markarendz taken the biathlon circuit by storm. Following a second place finish in the 2011-12 IPC Biathlon World Cup, Arendz Career highlights topped the list for the 2012-13 IPC World Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games Cup biathlon season. At the 2013 World Championships S 10km biathlon Arendz claimed his first ever World Championship gold medal in the 7.5km B 12.5km biathlon biathlon event. Before the World Cham- pionships were over, Arendz added two 2012-13 IPC Biathlon World Cup more bronze medals. 1 2 3 Overall winner Arendz finished eighth in the 2012-13 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing 2013 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Cup for cross-country, becoming World Championships one of only four athletes to be in the top 10 rankings for both the biathlon and G 7.5km biathlon cross-country skiing World Cups. Arendz added his first Paralympic medals B 12.5km and 15km biathlon to his collection at the Laura Biathlon 2011-12 IPC Biathlon World Cup and Cross-Country Skiing Centre at Sochi

1 2 3 2014. Overall second Standing in his way in 2015-16 is still Ukraine’s Grygorii Vovchynskyi, whom he edged back in February 2013 for his first World Championship gold medal by a Biography margin of under 20 seconds. Arendz started skiing at the age of five. Sochi added another chapter to their After a farm accident led to the ampu- already great rivalry. Meanwhile another tation of his left arm above the elbow, he book entirely could be written about last began competing in events in 2003 with season’s battle between Russia’s Azat the help of a ski prosthetic and became Karuchurin and Norwegian Nils-Erik interested in biathlon after watching the Ulset. Salt Lake City 2002 Paralympic Games.

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 51 One to Watch – Standing: Vladislav Lekomtsev

Name: Vladislav Lekomtsev Biography Lekomtsev started out in his para-sport Country: Russia career as a track and field athlete, com- peting in the middle distances at the Date of Birth: 8 December, 1994 2011 Open Athletics Russian Champion- ships and finishing third in the 1,500m. Born: Romashkino, Russia However that career path did not seem to appeal to the Russian and six months Classification:Standing later he made his international debut in both cross-country and biathlon at a World Cup in Norway. There he finished Career highlights on the podium in the 7.5km biathlon and 2015 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing the rest, as they say, is history. World Championships Over the following two seasons he con- tinued to rack up top three finishes until 1km sprint classic and 10km classic G cross-country, 7.5km and 12.5km he finished 2012-13 in third overall. That biathlon included a second place in the 15km classic cross-country at the World Cup 15km biathlon and 4 x 2.5km open S cross-country relay Finals in Sochi, just one year ahead of the Paralympic Winter Games and on the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games same trail system. G 7.5km biathlon and 4 x 2.5km open Not only that, that same year he won his cross-country relay first world titles in cross-country, perhaps B 1km sprint free, 10km free and 20km encouraged by his superstition that wear- classic country-country ing the same kit he wins in will lead to 2014-15 IPC Biathlon World Cup further triumphs.

1 2 3 However by the time Sochi 2014 rolled Overall winner around, Lekomstev had switched his focus to biathlon, going on to win gold 2014-15 IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup in the 7.5km. He still took three bronze 1 2 3 Overall winner medals in cross-country however, show- ing the world his incredible adaptability. 2013-14 IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup In 2015 his speciality had flipped again and Lekomtsev was unstoppable in 1 2 3 Overall second cross-country, successfully defending his 1km classic and 10km classic titles and 2012-13 IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup adding two biathlon golds to his bulging 1 2 3 Overall third trophy cabinet. Proving just how versatile he is, he also 2013 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing finished the 2014-15 as the overall World Championships winner in both the biathlon and cross- 1km sprint classic and 10km classic country World Cups. G cross-country

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 53 One to Watch – Standing: Ihor Reptyukh

Name: Ihor Reptyukh Biography Competing in the 2011-12 IPC Country: Ukraine Cross-Country Skiing World Cup, Rep- tyukh finished in 19th place overall in Date of Birth: 21 June, 1994 the men’s standing. Just a year later in the 2012-13 edition he had risen to ninth Born: Chernihiv, Ukraine place on the overall standings list.

Classification:Standing However Reptyukh’s biggest leap came in the 2012-13 IPC Biathlon World Cup. After finishing 2011-12 in 15th place, Career highlights Reptyukh rose to third place in the overall 2015 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing standings for 2012-13. World Championships As if the third place World Cup finish was G 15km biathlon not enough, the young Ukrainian skier left an impression on his opponents on 12.5km biathlon, 20km free, 10km clas- B sic and 4 x 2.5km cross-country relay his World Championships debut in 2013. Reptyukh finished with a gold and bronze 2014-15 IPC Biathlon World Cup medal in biathlon and cross-country.

1 2 3 Overall third In 2013-14, Reptyukh stood on the World Cup podium six times contribut- Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games ing towards two top ten finishes in both S 4 x 2.5km open cross-country relay cross-country and biathlon standings. 2013-14 IPC Biathlon World Cup On his Paralympic debut in Sochi 2014,

1 2 3 the Ukrainian faced stiff competition from Overall third Canada’s Mark Arendz and Norwegian Paralympic champion Nils-Erik Ulset. 2013 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Championships But with four top ten finishes including G 12.5km biathlon silver in the relay, the youngster showed he could perform at the highest level be- 7.5km biathlon and 20km free B cross-country fore going on to win his second world title in 2015.

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 55 One to Watch – Standing: Nils-Erik Ulset

Name: Nils-Erik Ulset 3km pursuit biathlon and 20km free S cross-country Country: Norway B 1 x 4 and 2 x 5km relay open Date of Birth: 18 July, 1983 Turin 2006 Paralympic Winter Games

Born: Kristiansund, Norway B 7.5km and 12.5km biathlon

Classification:Standing

Facebook: Biography www.facebook.com/pages/Nils-Erik-­ In 2015-16 Ulset will be into his second Ulset/372753956475 decade at the very top of Nordic skiing.

At Sochi 2014, Ulset collected his ninth, Career highlights 10th and 11th Paralympic medal at his 2015 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing fourth Paralympic Winter Games. World Championships At his first Games in Salt Lake City in 2002, S 12.5km biathlon he won two gold medals in cross-country. Fast forward to the 2013-14 and 2014-15 7.5km biathlon and 4 x 2.5km B cross-country relay seasons, the incredibly adaptable Ulset finished as No.2 in biathlon. 2014-15 IPC Biathlon World Cup

1 2 3 Overall second Earning four podium finishes across in IPC Biathlon World Cups last year, Ulset Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games appears to be focusing his attention on shooting and skiing going forward. S 12.5km and 15km biathlon Ulset will face challenges from many B 4 x 2.5km cross-country relay sides in 2015-16 including Ukrainian 2013-14 IPC Biathlon World Cup world champion Ihor Reptyukh and Rus- sia’s Vladislav Lekomtsev. 1 2 3 Overall second But with biathlon legend and fellow coun- 2013 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing tryman Ole Einar Bjorndalen, the most World Championships decorated winter Olympian in history, G 15km biathlon as his idol Ulset has already entered the ranks as one of Norway’s most successful Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games para-Nordic skiers. G 12.5km biathlon

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 57 One to Watch – Visually impaired: Stanislav Chokhlaev

Name: Stanislav Chokhlaev 2011-12 IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup

1 2 3 Country: Russia Overall winner 2011-12 IPC Biathlon World Cup Date of Birth: 16 July, 1989 1 2 3 Overall second Classification:Visually impaired

Career highlights Biography 2015 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing On his international debut at a World Cup World Championships in Norway Chokhlaev surprised every- one, storming to the top of the podium in 10km classic cross-country and G 4 x 2.5km mixed relay cross-country skiing and biathlon events. The biggest surprise of all would have S 12.5km and 15km biathlon come to his teammate Nikolay Polukhin, who until that point had been the athlete 20km free and 1km sprint classic B cross-country that everyone looked out for. At the end of the 2011-12 season, Chokhlaev had 2014-15 IPC Biathlon World Cup claimed his first overall victory in the 1 2 3 Overall second cross-country World Cup. Since then the pair have exchanged 2014-15 IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup blows and in 2013, Chokhlaev won his first World Championships podiums. Still 1 2 3 Overall second behind Polukhin at this point as a favour- ite, Chokhlaev also finished out of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games World Cup top three. S 20km classic and 10km free But he was to return in 2013-14 ready cross-country for the biggest challenge of his career – a home Paralympic Winter Games. B 15km biathlon There Chokhlaev was impressive, secur- 2013-14 IPC Cross-Country Skiing World Cup ing three medals. However the top step of

1 2 3 the podium remained elusive. Overall winner Finally in 2015 he achieved his coveted gold medal in cross-country at the World 2013-14 IPC Biathlon World Cup Championships with guide Maksim Piro- 1 2 3 Overall second gov, beating Polukhin into second place. Polukhin meanwhile still stayed at the top 2013 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing of the World Cup pile. World Championships Chokhlaev, who is married to fellow Rus- 10km classic and 20km free sian Nordic skier Iuliia Budaleeva, returns S cross-country in 2015-16 hoping for World Cup victory once again.

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 59 One to Watch – Visually impaired: Nikolay Polukhin

Name: Nikolay Polukhin S 3km biathlon pursuit Country: Russia 1km classic sprint, 10km classic and B 20km free cross-country Date of Birth: 9 July, 1982

Born: Tyumen, Russia Biography Polukhin made his international debut for Classification:Visually impaired Russia in 2005, exploding onto the Nordic skiing scene and taking his opponents by storm. Career Highlights: 2015 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Polukhin’s first experience at the Winter World Championships Paralympics in Vancouver in 2010 yielded six medals, including one gold, four silvers G 7.5km, 12.5km and 15km biathlon and one bronze - the most medals of any single athlete. S 10km classic cross-country

2014-15 IPC Biathlon World Cup He followed this up by winning seven medals at the 2011 World Champi- 1 2 3 Overall winner onships. His haul included three gold medals and four silver medals. Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games 15km biathlon and mixed 4 x 2.5km Polukhin repeated his strong perfor- G cross-country relay mance with an encore performance at the 2013 Worlds where he took home S 7.5km and 12.5km biathlon four gold medals and a silver medal to 2013 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing add to his collection. In 2015, he brought World Championships his gold medal count to 11 with a further 7.5km, 12.5km and 15km biathlon, three titles. G 10km free cross-country When it comes to the World Cup circuit, S 20km free cross-country Polukhin has proved he is just as dom­ inant. 2013-14 and 2012-13 IPC Biathlon World Cup

1 2 3 Overall winner For the last four seasons, he has finished atop the rankings in the biathlon World 2013-14 IPC Cross-Country World Cup Cup.

1 2 3 Overall second Polukhin’s teammate Stanislav Chokhlaev and Sweden’s Sebastien Modin will be in 2011 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing the hunt for World Cup glory in 2015-16. World Championships With Andrey Tokarev, Polukhin’s sighted 7.5km and 12.5km biathlon and 1 x guide, the duo will be seeking to fend off G 4km and 2 x 5km cross-country relay any potential challengers.

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 61 Vital statistics

Top 20 Paralympic Games medallists of all time Top 20 Paralympic Games medallists of all time

Full historical results from all Paralympic Winter Games can be found at Paralympic.org.

Cross-country skiing - Men Cross-country skiing - Women Rank Athlete Country Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank Athlete Country Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 Frank Hoefle FRG/GER 10 5 2 17 1 Ragnhild Myklebust NOR 16 16

2 Terje Loevaas NOR 10 3 13 2 Verena Bentele GER 7 2 1 10

3 Brian McKeever CAN 10 2 12 3 Tanja Tervonen FIN 6 1 7

4 Jouko Grip FIN 8 5 13 4 Tanja Kari FIN 6 1 7

5 Hans Anton Aalien NOR 7 1 1 9 5 Birgitta Sund SWE 6 6

6 Pertti Sankilampi FIN 6 4 1 11 6 Kirsti Pennanen FIN 4 1 1 6

7 Valeri Kouptchinski RUS 6 2 2 10 7 Desiree Johansson SWE 4 1 5

=8 Kari Joki-Erkkila FIN 6 2 1 9 8 Tone Gravvold NOR 4 3 7

=8 Knut Lundstroem NOR 6 2 1 9 9 Lubov Paninykii EUN/ RUS 4 1 5

10 Morten Langeroed NOR 5 2 1 8 10 Liudmila Vauchok BLR 3 3 2 8

11 Alexandre Nassarouline RUS 5 1 1 7 11 Anne Helene Barlund NOR 3 3 1 7

12 Svein Lilleberg NOR 4 7 11 12 Kaija Tuikkanen FIN 3 2 2 7

13 Sergej Shilov RUS 4 3 1 8 13 Susanne Ischinger GER 3 1 1 5

14 Nikolai Ilioutchenko EUN/RUS 4 2 5 11 =14 Liisa Maekelae FIN 3 1 4

=15 Marcin Kos POL 4 2 1 7 =14 Elena Remizova RUS 3 1 4

=15 Kirill Mikhaylov RUS 4 2 1 7 16 Lioubov Vasilieva RUS 3 1 4

17 Terje Gruer NOR 4 1 5 =17 Alli Hatva FIN 3 3

18 Veikko Jantunen FIN 4 1 5 =17 Natalia Smirnova RUS 3 3

19 Terje Johansen NOR 4 4 19 Olena Iurkovska UKR 2 4 5 11

20 Irek Mannanov RUS 3 5 8 20 Mikhalina Lysova RUS 2 4 6

62 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 63 Top 20 Paralympic Games medallists of all time Top 20 Paralympic Games medallists of all time

Biathlon - Men Biathlon - Women Rank Athlete Country Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank Athlete Country Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 Vitaliy Lukyanenko UKR 4 1 2 7 1 Verena Bentele GER 5 1 6

2 Wilhelm Brem GER 3 1 1 5 2 Olena Iurkovska UKR 3 2 2 7

=3 Frank Hoefle GER 3 1 4 3 Mikhalina Lysova RUS 2 1 2 5

=3 Roman Petushkov RUS 3 1 4 =4 Alena Kaufman RUS 2 1 3

5 Vladimir Kiselev RUS 2 1 3 =4 Miyuki Kobayashi JPN 2 1 3

=6 Rustam Garifoullin RUS 2 2 =4 Oleksandra Kononova UKR 2 1 3

=6 Jouko Grip FIN 2 2 =7 Ragnhild Myklebust NOR 2 1 3

=6 Thomas Oelsner GER 2 2 =7 Majorie van de Bunt NED 2 1 3

=6 Irek Zaripov, RUS 2 2 9 Anne Floriet FRA 1 2 1 4

10 Nikolay Polukhin RUS 1 4 5 =10 Iuliia Budaleeva RUS 1 2 3

11 Nils-Erik Ulset NOR 1 3 4 =10 Anna Burmistrova RUS 1 2 3

=12 Josef Giesen GER 1 1 1 3 =10 Svetlana Konovalova RUS 1 2 3

=12 Udo Hirsch GER 1 1 1 3 =13 Theres Huser SUI 1 1 2

=12 Kalervo Pieksaemaeki FIN 1 1 1 3 =13 Maria Iovleva RUS 1 1 2

=12 Alexander Schwarz GER 1 1 1 3 =13 Anja Wicker GER 1 1 2

=12 Grygorii Vovchynskyi UKR 1 1 1 3 =16 Andrea Eskau GER 1 1 2

=17 Andre Favre FRA 1 1 2 =16 Alena Gorbunova RUS 1 1 2

=17 Irek Mannanov RUS 1 1 2 18 Liubov Vasilyeva RUS 2 2

=17 Ruedi Weber SUI 1 1 2 19 Lyudmyla Pavlenko UKR 1 3 4

20 Azat Karachurin RUS 1 1 2 20 Svitlana Tryfonova UKR 1 2 3

64 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 65 66 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 67 Participation

Overall Biathlon Licensed athletes Countries Paralympic Games No. athletes No. countries 373 29 Innsbruck, Austria, 1988 36 8 Tignes, France, 1992 45 12 Lillehammer, Norway, 1994 126 20 World Championships No. athletes No. countries Nagano, Japan, 1998 108 19 Vuokatti, Finland, 2009 100 26 Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, 2002 104 17 Khanty Mansiysk, Russia, 2011 90 14 Torino, Italy, 2006 90 20 Solleftea, Sweden, 2013 156 17 Vancouver, Canada, 2010 95 18 Cable, Wisconsin, USA, 2015 150 20 Sochi, Russia, 2014 94 16 Torino, Italy, 2006 131 22 Vancouver, Canada, 2010 142 93 Cross-country skiing Sochi, Russia, 2014 147 94 Paralympic Games No. athletes No. countries Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, 1976 125 15 Geilo, Norway, 1980 148 14 Innsbruck, Austria, 1984 194 18 Innsbruck, Austria, 1988 164 17 Tignes, France, 1992 150 18 Lillehammer, Norway, 1994 177 25 Nagano, Japan, 1998 213 24 Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, 2002 134 22 Torino, Italy, 2006 131 22 Vancouver, Canada, 2010 142 93 Sochi, Russia, 2014 147 94

68 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 69 Medals tables

Paralympic Games (Sochi, Russia, 2014) World Championships (Cable, Wisconsin, USA, 2015)

Cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 RUS 12 9 11 32 1 RUS 11 8 7 26

2 CAN 4 4 2 UKR 4 5 6 15

3 UKR 1 6 3 10 3 GER 3 3

4 SWE 1 2 1 4 4 FRA 1 3 4

5 NOR 1 1 2 5 CAN 1 1

6 GER 1 1 6 USA 2 3 5

7 USA 2 1 3 7 NOR 1 3 4

8 FIN 1 1 8 SWE 1 1 2

9 FRA 2 2

10 BLR 1 1 Biathlon Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total Biathlon 1 RUS 13 8 7 28

Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total 2 UKR 5 6 4 15

1 RUS 12 11 7 30 =3 FRA 2 2

2 UKR 4 3 8 15 =3 USA 2 2

3 GER 2 1 3 5 NOR 1 1 2

4 NOR 2 2 6 GER 3 3

5 CAN 1 1 2 7 FIN 2 2 6 BLR 2 2

7 JPN 1 1

70 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 71 Sochi 2014 Paralympic medallists

Full historical results from all World Championships since 2009 can be found at Classification Placing Name Country Paralympic.org. 20km classic Cross-country – Men Standing Gold Rushan Minnegulov RUS Classification Placing Name Country Silver Ilkka Tuomisto FIN 1km sprint free Bronze Vladislav Lekomtcev RUS Sitting Gold Roman Petushkov RUS Visually impaired Gold Brian McKeever CAN Silver Grigory Murygin RUS Silver Stanislav Chokhlaev RUS Bronze Maksym Yarovyi UKR Bronze Zebastian Modin SWE Standing Gold Mikhaylov, Kirill RUS Silver Rushan Minnegulov RUS Bronze Vladislav Lekomtsev RUS Visually impaired Gold Brian McKeever CAN Silver Zebastian Modin SWE Bronze Oleg Ponomarev RUS 10km free Sitting Gold Chris Klebl CAN Silver Maksym Yarovyi UKR Bronze Grigory Murygin RUS Standing Gold Aleksandr Pronkov RUS Silver Vladimir Kononov RUS Bronze Vladislav Lekomtcev RUS Visually impaired Gold Brian McKeever CAN Silver Stanislav Chokhlaev RUS Bronze Thomas Clarion FRA 15km free Sitting Gold Roman Petushkov RUS Silver Irek Zaripov RUS Bronze Aleksandr Davidovich RUS

72 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 73 Cross-country – Women Event Placing Name Country Event Placing Name Country 1km sprint free Standing Gold Helene Ripa SWE Sitting Gold Mariann Marthinsen NOR Silver Iuliia Batenkova UKR Silver Tatyana McFadden USA Bronze Anna Milenina RUS Bronze Marta Zaynullina RUS Visually impaired Gold Elena Remizova RUS Standing Gold Anna Milenina RUS Silver Mikhalina Lysova RUS Silver Iuliia Batenkova UKR Bronze Yadviha Skorabahataya BLR Bronze Alena Kaufman RUS

Visually impaired Gold Mikhalina Lysova RUS Mixed Silver Elena Remizova RUS Event Placing Country Bronze Oksana Shyshkova UKR 4 x 2.5km mixed relay open Gold Russia 5km Silver Sweden Sitting Gold Andrea Eskau GER Bronze Norway Silver Lyudmyla Pavlenko GER 4 x 2.5km open relay Gold Russia Bronze Oksana Masters USA Silver Ukraine 5km free Bronze France Standing Gold Milenina, Anna RUS Silver Iuliia Batenkova UKR Bronze Oleksandra Kononova UKR Visually impaired Gold Elena Remizova RUS Silver Mikhalina Lysova RUS Bronze Iuliia Budaleeva RUS 15km classic Sitting Gold Lyudmyla Pavlenko UKR Silver Oksana Masters USA Bronze Svetlana Konovolova RUS

74 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 75 Biathlon – Men Classification Placing Name Country Classification Placing Name Country 7.5km Visually impaired Gold Nikolay Polukhin RUS Sitting Gold Roman Petushkov RUS Silver Anatolii Kovalevskyi UKR Silver Maksym Yarovyi UKR Bronze Stanislav Chokhlaev RUS Bronze Kozo Kubo JPN Bronze Vitaliy Lukyanenko UKR Standing Gold Lekomtcev, Vladislav RUS Silver Mark Arendz CAN Bronze Azat Karachurin RUS Visually impaired Gold Vitaliy Lukyanenko UKR Silver Nikolay Polukhin RUS Bronze Vasili Shaptsiaboi BLR 12.5km Sitting Gold Roman Petushkov RUS Silver Alexey Bychenok RUS Bronze Grigory Murygin RUS Standing Gold Karachurin, Azat RUS Silver Nils-Erik Ulset NOR Bronze Mark Arendz CAN Visually impaired Gold Vitaliy Lukyanenko UKR Silver Nikolay Polukhin RUS Bronze Vasili Shaptsiaboi BLR 15km Sitting Gold Roman Petushkov RUS Silver Grigory Murygin RUS Bronze Aleksandr Davidovich RUS Standing Gold Grygorii Vovchynskyi UKR Silver Nils-Erik Ulset NOR Bronze Kirill Mikhaylov RUS

76 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 77 Biathlon – Women Classification Placing Name Country Classification Placing Name Country 6km Visually impaired Gold Iuliia Budaleeva RUS Sitting Gold Andrea Eskau GER Silver Mikhalina Lysova RUS Silver Svetlana Konovalova RUS Bronze Oksana Shyshkova UKR Bronze Olena Iurkovska UKR Standing Gold Alena Kaufman RUS Silver Anna Milenina RUS Bronze Iuliia Batenkova UKR Visually impaired Gold Mikhalina Lysova RUS Silver Iuliia Budaleeva RUS Bronze Oksana Shyshkova UKR 10km Sitting Gold Anja Wicker GER Silver Svetlana Konovalova RUS Bronze Lyudmyla Pavlenko UKR Standing Gold Alena Kaufman RUS Silver Oleksandra Kononova UKR Bronze Natalia Bratiuk RUS Visually impaired Gold Mikhalina Lysova RUS Silver Iuliia Budaleeva RUS Bronze Oksana Shyshkova UKR 12.5km Sitting Gold Svetlana Konovalova RUS Silver Anja Wicker GER Bronze Olena Iurkovska UKR Standing Gold Olksandra Kononova UKR Silver Alena Kaufman RUS Bronze Natalia Bratiuk RUS

78 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 79 World Championships medallists

Full historical results from all World Championships since 2010 can be found at Classification Placing Name Country ipc-nordicskiing.org. 20km free Standing Gold Rushan Minnegulov RUS 2015, Cable, USA Silver Benjamin Daviet FRA Cross-country skiing – Men Bronze Ihor Reptyukh UKR Classification Placing Name Country 20km free 1km classic Visually impaired Gold Brian McKeever CAN Sitting Gold Maksyum Yarovyi UKR Silver Thomas Clarion FRA Silver Alexey Bycheneok RUS Bronze Stanislav Chokhlaev RUS Bronze Andrew Soule USA Standing Gold Vladislav Lekomtcev RUS Silver Benjamin Daviet FRA Bronze Rushan Minnegulov RUS Visually impaired Gold Vladimir Udaltcov RUS Silver Oleg Ponomarev RUS Bronze Stanislav Chokhlaev RUS 10km classic Sitting Gold Aleksandr Davidovich RUS Silver Andrew Soule USA Bronze Alexey Bychenok RUS Standing Gold Vladislav Lekomtcev RUS Silver Rushan Minnegulov RUS Bronze Ihor Reptyukh UKR Visually impaired Gold Stanislav Chokhlaev RUS Silver Nikolay Polukhin RUS Bronze Vladimir Udaltcov RUS 15km free Sitting Gold Aleksandr Davidovich RUS

80 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 81 Cross-country skiing – Women Classification Placing Name Country 15km free 1km sprint classic Standing Gold Oleksandra Kononova UKR Sitting Gold Andrea Eskau GER Silver Liudmyla Liashenko UKR Silver Mariann Marthinsen NOR Bronze Ekaterina Rumyantseva RUS Bronze Oksana Masters USA Visually impaired Gold Iuliia Budaleeva RUS Standing Gold Oleksandra Kononova UKR Silver Elena Remizova RUS

Silver Helene Ripa SWE Bronze Iuliia Smirnova RUS Bronze Liudmyla Liashenko UKR Visually impaired Gold Elena Remizova RUS Silver Oksana Shyshkova UKR Mixed Bronze Iuliia Budaleeva RUS Event Placing Country 5km classic 4 x 2.5km mixed relay open Gold Russia Sitting Gold Andrea Eskau GER Silver Ukraine Silver Oksana Masters USA Bronze Norway Bronze Mariann Marthinsen NOR 4 x 2.5km open relay Gold France Standing Gold Oleksandra Kononova UKR Silver Russia Silver Liudmyla Liashenko UKR Bronze Ukraine Bronze Helene Ripa SWE Visually impaired Gold Elena Remizova RUS Silver Iuliia Budaleeva RUS Bronze Oksana Shyshkova UKR 10km free Sitting Gold Andrea Eskau GER Silver Marta Zaynullina RUS Bronze Mariann Marthinsen NOR

82 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 83 Biathlon – Men Classification Placing Name Country Classification Placing Name Country 7.5km sprint Visually impaired Gold Nikolay Polukhin RUS Sitting Gold Maksym Yarovyi UKR Silver Stanislav Chokhlaev RUS Silver Andrew Soule USA Bronze Iurli Utkin UKR Bronze Alexey Bychenok RUS Standing Gold Vladislav Lekomtcev RUS Silver Benjamin Daviet FRA Bronze Nils-Erik Ulset NOR Visually impaired Gold Nikolay Polukhin RUS Silver Anatolii Kovalevskyi UKR Bronze Vladimir Udaltcov RUS 12.5km Sitting Gold Grigory Murygin RUS Silver Alexey Bychenok RUS Bronze Martin Fleig GER Standing Gold Vladislav Lekomtcev RUS Silver Nils-Erik Ulset NOR Bronze Ihor Reptyukh UKR Visually impaired Gold Nikolay Polukhin RUS Silver Stanislav Chokhlaev RUS Bronze Vladimir Udaltcov RUS 15km Sitting Gold Alexey Bychenok RUS Silver Andrew Soule USA Bronze Grigory Murygin RUS Standing Gold Ihor Reptyukh UKR Silver Vladislav Lekomtcev RUS

Bronze Benjamin Daviet FRA

84 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 85 Biathlon – Women Classification Placing Name Country Classification Placing Name Country 6km sprint Visually impaired Gold Iuliia Budaleeva RUS Sitting Gold Nadezhda Fedorova RUS Silver Elena Remizova RUS Silver Marta Zaynullina RUS Bronze Olga Prylutska UKR Bronze Andrea Eskau GER Standing Gold Oleksandra Kononova UKR Silver Liudmyla Liashenko UKR Bronze Maija Jarvela FIN Visually impaired Gold Iuliia Budaleeva RUS Silver Oksana Shyshkova UKR Bronze Vivian Hosch GER 10km Sitting Gold Maria Iovleva RUS Silver Irina Guliaeva RUS Bronze Marta Zaynullina RUS Standing Gold Oleksandra Kononova UKR Silver Liudmyla Liashenko UKR Bronze Iryna Bui UKR Visually impaired Gold Iuliia Budaleeva RUS Silver Oksana Shyshkova UKR Bronze Elena Remizova RUS 12.5km Sitting Gold Marta Zaynullina RUS Silver Svetlana Konovalova RUS Bronze Natalia Kocherova RUS Standing Gold Oleksandra Kononova UKR Silver Liudmyla Liashenko UKR

Bronze Maija Jarvela FIN

86 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 87 World Cup standings

Full World Cup standings from all seasons (from 2010-2011) can be found at Biathlon – Men ipc-nordicskiing.org Classification Placing Name Country Points 2014-15 Sitting 1 Alexey Bychenok RUS 621 2 Aleksandr Davidovich RUS 586 Overall 3 Martin Fleig GER 466 Cross-country skiing – Men Standing 1 Vladislav Lekomtsev RUS 700 Classification Placing Name Country Points 2 Nils-Erik Ulset NOR 625 Sitting 1 Andrew Soule USA 832 3 Ihor Reptyukh UKR 600 2 Alexey Bychenok RUS 677 Visually Impaired 1 Nikolay Polukhin RUS 710 3 Chris Klebl CAN 657 2 Stanislav Chokhlaev RUS 696 Standing 1 Vladislav Lekomtcev RUS 800 3 Anatolii Kovalevskyi UKR 542 2 Rushan Minnegulov RUS 755 3 Benjamin Daviet FRA 506 Biathlon– Women Visually Impaired 1 Eirik Bye NOR 626 Classification Placing Name Country Points 2 Stanislav Chokhlaev RUS 580 Sitting 1 Anja Wicker GER 581 3 Brian McKeever CAN 400 2 Marta Zaynullina RUS 540 3 Nadezhda Fedorova RUS 515 Cross-country skiing – Women Standing 1 Oleksandra Kononova UKR 825 Classification Placing Name Country Points 2 Liudmyla Liashenko UKR 660 Sitting 1 Oksana Masters USA 1050 3 Iryna Bui UKR 426 2 Mariann Marthinsen NOR 890 Visually Impaired 1 Iuliia Budaleeva RUS 805 3 Natalia Kocherova RUS 612 2 Oksana Shyshkova UKR 660 Standing 1 Brittany Hudack CAN 772 3 Elena Remizova RUS 560 2 Ekaterina Rumyantseva RUS 739 3 Oleksandra Kononova UKR 700 Visually Impaired 1 Iuliia Budaleeva RUS 500 2 Elena Remizova RUS 490 3 Oksana Shyshkova UKR 440

88 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 89 National Paralympic Committee contacts

National Paralympic Name Contact National Paralympic Name Contact Committee Committee

Argentina José María Valladares [email protected] Japan Kunio Nakamori [email protected] +54 911 40739142 +81 3 59397021

Australia Michael Hartung [email protected] Kazakhstan Yernazar Bexultanov [email protected] +612 9704 0526 +7 775 9130555

Austria Petra Huber [email protected] Korea Jong-Hyun (Robin) [email protected] +43 5 9393 20330 Park +82 70 7422 x0016

Belarus Nikolay Shudeyko [email protected] Mongolia Nasanbat Oyunbat [email protected] +375 17 2032506 +976 11 260673

Brazil Andrew Parsons [email protected] Norway Arnfinn Vik [email protected] +55 61 30313012 +47 21029000

Bulgaria Ilia Lalov [email protected] Poland Monika Maniak-Iwan- [email protected] +359 2 9300623 iszewska +48 22 8240872

Canada Karen O'Neill [email protected] Russia Katerina Pronina [email protected] +1 6135 694333 x223 +7 499 9221191

China Gianna Cunazza [email protected] Slovakia Samuel Rosko [email protected] Mardones +56 2 22703680 +421 2 905 788 434

Czech Republic Alena Erlebachova [email protected] Spain Miguel Sagarra [email protected] +420 233 017454 +34 91 5896972

Denmark Karl Vilhelm Nielsen [email protected] Sweden Johan Strid [email protected] +45 20164089 +46 (0) 8 699 62 73

Finland Tiina Kivisaari [email protected] Switzerland Veronika Roos [email protected] +358 40 823 x1232 +41 31 3597355

France Dalila Sayad [email protected] Ukraine Olena Zaitseva [email protected] +33 1 403145 x15 +380 44 2894330

Germany Frank-Thomas Hartleb [email protected] United States Rick Adams [email protected] +49 (0) 2234 6000 x200 +1 719 866 x4138

Hungary Veronika Toth [email protected] Uzbekistan Navruza Yuldasheva [email protected] +36 1 4606804 +998 71 2391736

Italy Noretta Fioraso [email protected] +39 (0) 6 8797 3165

90 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 91 Officials

IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Sport Technical Committee Position Name

Chairperson Rob Walsh (USA)

Vice Chairperson John Farra (USA)

Head of Technical Control and Officiating Len Apedaile (CAN)

Head of Competition (Biathlon) Aleksey Kobelev (RUS)

Head of Competition (Cross-Country Skiing) Tor Undheim (NOR)

Head of Classification Dia Pernot (NED)

Athlete Liaison Akjana Abdikarimova (RUS)

Anti-doping

To promote and protect the integrity of sport and the health of athletes, the IPC, together with International Federations, including IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing, and the National Paralympic Committees established the IPC Anti-Doping Code.

The aims of the code, which is fully compliant with the World Anti-Doping Agency Code, are:

▪▪ To protect the athlete’s right to participate in doping free sport and thus promote health, fairness and equality for athletes worldwide.

▪▪ To ensure harmonised, co-ordinated and effective anti-doping programmes on the international and national level with regards to detection, deterrence and prevention of doping.

Anti-doping rules, like competition rules, are sport rules governing the conditions under which sport is played. All participants (athletes and athlete support personnel) accept these rules as a condition of participation and are presumed to have agreed to comply with the IPC Anti-Doping Code.

Images used courtesy of Getty Images and James Netz Photography. All information correct as of 2 December 2015.

92 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide 93 International Paralympic Committee Adenauerallee 212-214 53113 Bonn, Germany Tel. +49 228 2097-200 Fax +49 228 2097-209 [email protected] www.paralympic.org

© 2015 International Paralympic Committee – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Photos ©: Getty Images and James Netz Photography

94 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Media Guide