Rastorgujevs and Sandra Buliņa Win Latvian Summer Biathlon Round 2 in Cēsis
- In the men's 7.5-kilometer elite mass start, Rastorgujevs claimed a decisive victory.
- The women's 6-kilometer mass start saw Sandra Buliņa take the top step of the podium.
- Competition across the younger and veteran age categories featured tight margins, particularly in the M21 division.
Elite Mass Start Results in Cēsis
In the men’s 7.5-kilometer elite mass start, Rastorgujevs claimed a decisive victory. He finished with a time of 37 minutes and 20.3 seconds while incurring just two shooting penalties across four stages, splitting them as 1+0+0+1, according to biatlons.lv. Matīss Meirāns took second place despite struggling on the shooting range with 10 total penalties, resulting in a finish time 3 minutes and 16.5 seconds behind the winner. Kristiāns Kārlsbergs rounded out the podium in third place, missing four targets over the course of the race with a shooting sequence of 2+0+2+0 and finishing 5 minutes and 24.6 seconds back, as detailed by biatlons.lv.
The women’s 6-kilometer mass start saw Sandra Buliņa take the top step of the podium. She overcame 11 shooting mistakes—scoring 4+2+3+2 across the four rounds—to cross the finish line in 35 minutes and 55.3 seconds, according to biatlons.lv. Sanita Buliņa claimed second place with eight total penalties, crossing 1 minute and 36.3 seconds behind her sister. Enia Kalniņa-Kārlsberga finished third, also accumulating eight misses on the range and finishing 7 minutes and 48.4 seconds behind the winner.
Youth and Age-Group Standings
Competition across the younger and veteran age categories featured tight margins, particularly in the M21 division. Adrians Māris Šņoriņš won the class with a time of 40 minutes and 44.1 seconds, edging runner-up Olivers Bresme by just 16.2 seconds, while Ernests Solovjovs took third place with a 33.9-second deficit, according to biatlons.lv. In the M19 group, Jānis Žagars secured first place in 45 minutes and 56.2 seconds, followed by Ernests Skride at 1 minute and 18.4 seconds back and Kristers Beikulis in third. Martīne Djatkoviča led the W19 category with a time of 35 minutes and 23.5 seconds, ahead of Laura Alziņa and Annija Krieviņa.
Markuss Āboliņš won the M17 race in 35 minutes and 38.3 seconds, holding off Armands Gulbis by 31.7 seconds, while Gustavs Bērziņš finished third. Jeļizaveta Boroņenko triumphed in the W17 class with a time of 38 minutes and 23.5 seconds, ahead of Adele Šlēziņa and Vanesa Patrīcija Skopiņa, as noted by biatlons.lv. The M15 division featured a 24-athlete field where Toms Makstnieks earned victory in 26 minutes and 10.1 seconds, narrowly beating Mārtiņš Āboliņš by 26.2 seconds and Gustavs Spolītis by 41.2 seconds. Ariana Kodaļeva won the W15 race in 28 minutes and 16.5 seconds, outdistancing Stella Umleja and Ieva Zvirgzdiņa.
Veteran and Junior Cross-Country Events
Veteran categories featured wins by Rainers Upenieks in M30, Andis Pušņakovs in M40, Mareks Birkentāls in M50, and Leonīds Valdonis in M60, according to biatlons.lv records. The competition day opened with the youngest participants in the M13 and W13 groups contesting a 1.2-kilometer cross-country run. Emīls Nils Krūmiņš won the M13 event in 4 minutes and 46.6 seconds, beating Rūdolfs Žagars by a mere 1.7 seconds and Daniels Matisāns by 2.5 seconds. Luīze Spalviņa claimed the W13 division with a time of 4 minutes and 53.8 seconds, ahead of Alise Krastiņa and Angelīna Pudāne, wrapping up the second stage of the national summer biathlon series in Cēsis.
