Ukrainian Anastasiya Merkushyna wins women sprint at International Biathlon Union Cup

Ukrainian biathlete Anastasiya Merkushyna, 28, won in the women sprint competition at the International Biathlon Union Cup held in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, on Jan. 27.

"Eight years after winning the Sprint title at the IBU Open European Championships Otepaeae 2015, Merkushyna had one of the best days in recent years and repeated that triumph," the IBU wrote in the announcement.

Merkushyna finished in 23 minutes and 14.5 seconds. She did not make any mistakes at the shooting range.

Tilda Johansson from Sweden finished second and Vanessa Hinz from Germany finished third in the competition.

"Tracks here are hard and I was excited to test them before the BMW IBU World Championships, which will be here in two years. It is great to win this gold medal, to listen to Ukraine's anthem and hopefully bring some happiness to my country," said Merkushyna.

This is the third medal for Ukraine at this year's IBU Cup.