Last year, biathlete Dmytro Pidruchny was one of the athletes who actively participated in the fighting in Ukraine and defended the country in the war launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin. At the World Championships in Oberhof, the Ukrainian is experiencing a dream sports comeback. On Saturday, in the sprint, he was the only one to disrupt the Norwegian supremacy, and his rivals also live by his story.
The 31-year-old Pidruchny entered the individual events of the World Championship with a fifth place in Saturday’s sprint. He then followed up with the eighth place in Sunday’s fighter.
“I think I’ve inspired people back home,” he narrated Pidruchny after fifth place with red eyes. After last year’s Olympics in Beijing, he enlisted, exchanged his small-bore rifle for a machine gun and defended his hometown of Ternopil.
“I serve in the National Guard. This photo was taken during a raid,” he wrote in March contribution on Instagram, where he later added other greetings from the war front and thanked for supporting Ukraine. But he rejected the status of a hero and pointed out that there are others on the front line.
Besides other representatives from the world of sports, nineteen-year-old Ukrainian biathlete Yevhen Malyshev also died in the war.
If Pidručná’s duties allowed it at the time, he tried to keep himself in good shape even during the defense of the city so that he could return to biathlon.
“But I didn’t know at all if it would be possible. The whole year has been extremely difficult for me, my family and our country. I thank all the soldiers who fight for our country and allow me to be here,” Pidruchny recounted in Oberhof.
“I was without family, sport and training for several months. We athletes were learning and learning new things about the army, strategy, weapons or shooting a machine gun,” continued the 2019 world fighter champion.
“It was a completely different job than biathlon. It was dangerous, but it was good exercise for me,” he tried to find at least something positive.
At the beginning of the season, Pidruchnyj showed himself in the relay in Kontiolahti, but finished his leg due to an injured knee with great self-denial. He had to undergo meniscus surgery, the recovery ended just a few weeks before the MS.
Nevertheless, he shone in the first individual races of the championship. In the sprint on the extended podium for the top six, he was even the only one to break the complete Norwegian supremacy when he wedged himself between the fourth Johannes Dale and the sixth Vetle Sjaestad Christiansen.
Dmytro Pidruchnyj (bottom middle) among the five Norwegians on stage. | Photo: Reuters
photo="" guid="6dc8ca12aba211ed93abac1f6b220ee8" name="template" value="athletics">“I certainly did not imagine such a result. To compete here against the Norwegians and other top competitors is incredible for me,” Pidruchnyj shook his head.
photo="" guid="6dc8ca12aba211ed93abac1f6b220ee8" name="template" value="athletics">“It’s a perfect story. All the other biathletes who are here are happy about his success,” said sprint silver medalist Tarjei Bo.
photo="" guid="6dc8ca12aba211ed93abac1f6b220ee8" name="template" value="athletics">“For many of my friends and guys who are fighting on the front line and know me, my results are important. I believe that I am making them happy,” Pidruchnyi said.
photo="" guid="6dc8ca12aba211ed93abac1f6b220ee8" name="template" value="athletics">The words of French biathlon legend Martin Fourcade, who is trying to defend the return of athletes from Russia and Belarus to world competitions in Oberhof, lifted Ukrainians even more.
photo="" guid="6dc8ca12aba211ed93abac1f6b220ee8" name="template" value="athletics">“They have to pay for what they did. Until then, we have nothing to talk about with them. They shouldn’t be here until they stop fighting,” Pidruchny responded. The current king of biathlon, Johannes Thingnes Bo, expressed himself similarly.
photo="" guid="6dc8ca12aba211ed93abac1f6b220ee8" name="template" value="athletics">Today at 2:30 p.m., the biathlon championship continues with the royal discipline, i.e. the men’s 20 kilometer endurance race.
