08.03 Gold, Silver for Russia in Paralympic Women’s Biathlon

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia, March 8 (R-Sport) – Host nation Russia continued its strong start to the Sochi Paralympics on Saturday as Mikhalina Lysova and Yulia Budaleeva stormed to gold and silver in the women’s 6km visually impaired biathlon.

Lysova took the victory in a time of 20 minutes 3.2 seconds for medal table-topping Russia’s fourth gold on the first day of competition.

Budaleeva was 28.5 seconds back in second place after earning two penalty loops for missed shots, while Ukraine’s Oksana Shyshkova stopped a Russian podium sweep, beating host nation competitor Elena Remizova to third place.

Visually impaired biathlon sees athletes race with sighted guides. In the shooting portion of the event, athletes used modified rifles that provide aural cues to help them hit the targets.

Earlier in the day, Roman Petrushko, Alena Kaufman and Valery Lekomtsev all won biathlon gold medals for Russia.

The biathlon events use so-called “calculated time,” in which each athlete’s time is modified by a percentage reflecting the extent of their disability.

Over the nine days of competition in Sochi, a total of 72 gold medals will be awarded across five sports.

The story was amended to offer Kaufman's correct first name, Alena.