12.02 Biathlon Medalist Vilukhina Likely to Miss Individual Race – Coach

ROSA KHUTOR, Russia, February 12 (R-Sport) – Russia’s Sochi Olympic biathlon silver medalist Olga Vilukhina has fallen ill and is likely to miss Friday’s 15-kilometer individual race, her coach Valery Ivanov told R-Sport on Wednesday.

Vilukhina claimed Russia’s only biathlon medal in Sochi so far with silver in Sunday’s sprint behind Slovakia’s Anastasia Kuzmina. She then finished seventh in the pursuit Tuesday, despite competing with a cold.

“She’s ill,” Ivanov said, adding that it was “not a fact, but probable” that Vilukhina would skip the individual.

“The coaching staff will take a decision based on her condition, whether two days [rest] are enough, because the program is still long after [the individual],” he said.

Vilukhina, 25, also won bronze in the pursuit at the 2012 world championships.