It has already been reported that Bendika and Andrejs Rastorgujev won the third place in the mixed pairs relay at the end of the World Cup stage in the Czech Republic on Sunday, which is the highest position ever for Latvians in this discipline.
“It’s definitely a good feeling, but it took us a little longer to get here than we expected,” Bendika concluded with a spokesperson for the International Biathlon Union (IBU). “We’ve always known that this competition format suits us. It’s not easy to get on the podium.”
Also, the biathlete realized at the recently held world championship that there were some problems with her rifle, but they no longer interfered in this competition. “I tried to focus on each shot today,” she added.
Rastorgujevs also emphasized that the mixed pairs relay is the appropriate competition format for him and Bendika, in which the Latvian duo will fight for high places.
“We have potential in the mixed relay because this format suits both of us very well,” the biathlete highlighted. “It’s a good achievement not only for us, but for everyone in our team. Maybe we didn’t shoot perfectly, but it was enough to get on the podium.”
Before the final shooting, the Latvian duo was still in fourth place and Rastorgujevs revealed that he no longer pays attention to the closest followers on the track and tries to show his best performance.
“I only think about my performance and now I don’t pay attention to it anymore. I focus on each race separately and try to do my job,” said Rastorgujev.
The victory was celebrated by the Norwegians Marte Ulsboo-Reiselanna and Vetle Shostad Kristiansen, who beat the Swiss biathletes Amy Baserg and Niklas Hartweg by 17.6 seconds.
The Latvian duet lost 29.5 seconds to the winners, achieving the best result in the mixed pairs relay in the history of Latvia.
Next week, the penultimate stage of the World Cup will be held on the Swedish track in Esteshund, while the final stage of the World Cup will take place in Oslo from March 13 to 19.