Artem Prima did not make it into the “blue-yellow” squad for the next season and may retire.
The Ukrainian national biathlon team has decided on the composition of the men's and women's teams that will prepare for the season -2024/25.
As Suspilna Sport reports, one of the team leaders Artem Prima, who may end his career, was not included in the list of the Ukrainian men's team.
The women's team did not include Daria Blashko (who will focus on recovery from health problems) and the Olympic champion Elena Bilosyuk, who ended last season early due to knee surgery.
President of the Ukrainian Biathlon Federation Ivan Krulko said that Prima’s future in the team will be determined over the next weeks.
“Artem Prima – he is among the athletes. But he contacted me about the fact that he is already of age, which poses a personal question to him whether to continue his sports career. He plans to remain in biathlon and will remain there. Artem is an incredibly hardworking and responsible athlete , I want to say only good words about his attitude to work.
Of course, we can’t force anyone to do anything, but we’ll see. Prima remains an athlete in the national biathlon team, but based on his further performances we will decide in the next weeks,” Krulko said at the presidium of the Ukrainian Biathlon Federation.
The composition of the Ukrainian biathlon team in preparation for the 2024 season /25
Women: Julia Jima, Kristina Dmitrenko, Elena Gorodnaya, Yulia Gorodnaya, Lyubov Kipyachenkova, Anastasia Merkushina, Alexandra Merkushina, Anna Krivonos, Nadezhda Belkina, Irina Petrenko, Liliya Steblina, Ksenia Prikhodko, Tatyana Tarasyuk
Men: Dmitry Pidruchny, Anton Dudchenko, Vitaly Mandzyn, Taras Lesyuk, Bogdan Tsymbal, Artem Tishchenko, Denis Nasyko, Ruslan Tkalenko, Bogdan Borkovsky, Stepan Kinash, Sergey Suprun
Previously it became known who will lead the men's and women's biathlon teams of Ukraine inthe next season.
In the Cup season World 2024/25, the Ukrainian biathlon team will have a quota of five athletes in women's individual races, while in men's individual races our team will be able to field a maximum of four athletes.
The new season of the Biathlon World Cup will begin on November 30 in Finnish Kontiolahti.