SOCHI (AFP) - Ukraine on Friday raced to a famous victory in the women's team biathlon relay at the Sochi Olympics, defying the tragedy of the violence at home to take gold with an inspiring performance.

The team led from the start in the 4x6 km relay race, finishing in 1hr 10min 2.5sec, defeating second-place Russia by 26.4 seconds.

Norway took the bronze.

Ukraine's anchorwoman Olena Pidhrushna was embraced in delight by her teammates as she crossed the line.