Chase thriller. How Kirill Bazhin took gold from a Belarusian in the mixed relay

Chase thriller. How Kirill Bazhin took gold from a Belarusian in the mixed relay

Batraz Tomaev November 26, 2023, 14:00 Moscow time

The ideal tactics at the goal helped the finisher of the team from the Sverdlovsk region.

The first stage of the 2023/2024 Russian Biathlon Cup ended in Khanty-Mansiysk. The day before the season opened with a single mixed relay. The winners were Tamara Derbusheva and Kirill Bazhin (Sverdlovsk region). And on Sunday the classic mixed doubles took place.

The art of finishing

For the second time in a row, biathletes from the Sverdlovsk region climbed to the top step of the podium. For the residents of Sverdlovsk, Tamara Derbusheva, Irina Kazakevich, Vasily Tomshin ran, and Kirill Bazhin completed the relay. It was he who had to compete for gold with the Belarusian Pavel Belko, announced at the last moment for the race.

The last lap of the fourth stage was like a thriller with a chase. After the final throw, Bazhin left as a receiver. Between him and the Belarusian there were about 3.9 seconds. It seems that the young Belko will not give up this victory. But he wasn’t there! Kirill Bazhin was able to catch up with his opponent and lead the race thanks to the correct tactics at the finish line.

Passions were also on the surface at the World Cup in the mixed relay:

Samuelsson won the first World Cup race in 2023/2024. Not even the Norwegians stopped him!

Until the athletes appeared at the stadium, the fate of the gold was unclear. But if the Sverdlovsk resident had enough strength for the final attack, the Belarusian could not withstand this momentum and was only in second place. Zaruba was right!

“We managed to resolve the final lap tactically correctly. I didn’t rush right away, I saw that the Belarusian was throwing hard on the first climb. It seems that he even started to leave, to create a gap. I understood that everything would be decided in the second part. There are flatter climbs where I seem stronger. Plus a descent where I could sit and reach for it as much as possible. He knew he had to be the first up the final climb. He exhaled a little and took it out himself. He who went up first won,” Bazhin quotes the SBR press service.

The stars have aligned

23-year-old Pavel Belko unknowingly became the discovery of the first stage in Khanty-Mansiysk. It was he who successfully replaced team leader Anton Smolsky, who retired from the race due to health problems.

“By decision of the coaching staff, there was a change in the Belarusian team, in the fourth stage Pavel Belko will compete instead of Anton Smolsky. “Antón will not participate in the relay due to symptoms of a cold,” the Belarusian Biathlon Federation reported before the mixed event.

Pavel Belko

Photo: RIA Novosti

The team barely felt the loss of the fighter. Ultimately, replacing Belko turned out to be the best decision. The new Belarusian qualifier surpassed both milestones without a single error. What composure! But at the finish line it was impossible to resist the powerful Bazhin.

So far, the best result in the adult category of the Belarusian athlete is 57th place in the individual race at the 2022 European Championships in Arber (Germany). In the Commonwealth Cup, Belko only once placed tenth in the sprint race in Raubichi (Belarus). But he seems quite capable of improving.

The next stage will arrive soon. Russian Cup schedule:

Russian Biathlon Cup – 2023/2024: stage schedule, race schedule