Biathlon-Mandzyn aims to exploit rivals' mistakes to make Ukraine proud

ANTERSELVA, Italy, Feb 6 - Ukrainian biathlon prodigy Vitalii Mandzyn comes into the Milano Cortina Olympics with little pressure in terms of expectations, but he would love to ease the burden of his compatriots at home by bringing back an Olympic medal.

Mandzyn is second in the International Biathlon Union (IBU) under-23 rankings, and following an intense training session on Friday, he told Reuters he was prepared to pounce on any errors made on the shooting range by his rivals.

"This is the kind of competition where the best have a lot of pressure, and sometimes this pressure can make them make different small mistakes," he said, smiling. "And of course, such athletes like me who are not so strong on the track, can use these mistakes and be better (than them), so I hope for it."

The 22-year-old sighed deeply when asked about what a medal for Ukraine would mean for a country that has been ravaged during its ongoing war with Russia.

"In this time in Ukraine, maybe when we are competing in such different competitions and getting different good results. It means that Ukraine is strong, despite all these bad times. So of course, if we can medal, it will be very, very, very good for us and for Ukraine," he said.

Russia currently occupies about 20 percent of Ukraine's national territory, including Crimea and parts of the eastern Donbas region seized before the 2022 invasion. Russian and Belarusian athletes are banned from competing under their nation's flags at the Olympics because of the war, which is now grinding into its fifth year.

Through that time, the exploits of the country's sportspeople have provided moments of relief from the ongoing conflict.

"It's an honour for me to be here and to represent Ukraine, and to represent that we are so strong and we stand together," Mandzyn said.

SPORTING HEROES

The sharpshooter referenced retired Norwegian biathlete Johannes Thingnes Boe, who won four gold medals at the Beijing Games in 2022, as someone who inspired him.

"Johannes Thingnes Boe is the man who I am competing with (in my mind) and of course, I want to be like him, he's a really, really strong athlete," he said.

Mandzyn is hoping that he can emerge from the pack and become the sport's next dominant figure.

"What I hope for is that I will be there, and I will be on this (Olympic) podium," he said. REUTERS