Russian biathlete Alexander Loginov has taken the first gold for his team at the 2020 IBU World Championships in Italy, finishing first in the men’s sprint on Saturday.
The 28-year-old displayed flawless shooting and completed the 10km race in 22 minutes 48.1 seconds to claim his maiden world title. France’s Quentin Fillon Maillet and Martin Fourcade earned silver and bronze respectively.
“Clean shooting was a key factor in today’s win,” Loginov said after the race.
With that win, Loginov ended a 12-year losing streak for Russian male biathletes whose previous World Championships win dated back to 2008 when Maxim Chudov was unrivalled in the men’s sprint.
This was the first medal for team Russia at the 2020 IBU World Championships, which will conclude next week.
On Sunday, Loginov will open the men’s pursuit where the starting positions are based on the results of sprint, having a six-second advantage over Maillet.