Polar final: what is expected to be the final stage of the Commonwealth Cup

Almost the entire biathlon world went on vacation. Many of our athletes have also completed the season. But the strongest biathletes of Russia and Belarus still have one more start on the calendar — the final stage of the Commonwealth Cup in Murmansk. About the upcoming competitions — in the material of Izvestia.

A new discipline

As last year, the season ends in April in Murmansk. There is still enough snow here at this time for competitions. But earlier races at this stadium were not held so often. In 2014, the Russian Championship was held in Murmansk, but then it was forgotten for 10 years.

In 2024, many participants of the Commonwealth Cup stage found themselves in the Arctic Circle for the first time. Everyone pointed out that you definitely need to come here more often.

"This is my first time here, too," said Anton Babikov, the world champion. — We can say that we have already fallen in love with Murmansk. We want to come here more often. We hope that the big biathlon will also come more often. There are definitely great prospects for development here. This is important both for the children of the region and for us, who like biathlon to be diverse. This is better than sitting in Khanty-Mansiysk for three stages, for example. We were shown videos of people rolling in in September. What's the problem with coming here in November? I don't really understand what it is.

This time Murmansk should surprise with a new discipline — team sprint. They wanted to hold it at the final stage of the Commonwealth Cup a year ago, but in the end, the RBU abandoned the idea, instead including a mixed relay and a single-mixed event in the program.

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All the strongest athletes, including from the national team of Belarus, will perform in Ugra.

The team that participates in this type of sprint will consist of two athletes of the same gender. That is, there will be one men's and one women's race. Each of the relay participants will perform two prone and two standing shots. Between them it is necessary to run a circle 1.5 km long. The baton is passed after passing each firing line. The shots are fired sequentially: first four layups, then four stands. For each miss at the turn, the biathlete must pass a shortened penalty circle of 75 m (in classical disciplines, the length of the penalty circle is 150 m).

The other two disciplines of the stage are classical and Olympic. On the first day, sprint races will be held, and the mass start stage will be closed.

The second Smolsky Cup

This season, the RBU has increased the prize fund of the Commonwealth Cup by 3.3 million rubles. Now, biathletes will receive 750 thousand rubles for winning the men's and women's overall competitions, and the strongest in individual disciplines will receive 300 thousand rubles each.

In men's competitions, the intrigue of the grand prize is almost dead. 750 thousand and the crystal cup will probably go to Belarus. Anton Smolsky took the lead in the overall standings already at the first summer stage in Krasnoyarsk, winning three races out of three, and then he did not give his yellow jersey to anyone.

Currently, two Russians, Karim Khalili and Eduard Latypov, have theoretical chances to move Smolsky. However, the gaps in the top 3 of the men's competition are solid: Smolsky (1722 points), Khalili (1503), Latypov (1502).

120 points are awarded for winning one race, but points for the team sprint are not included in the overall standings. So it turns out that Smolsky, in order to become unattainable, it is enough to take 43rd place in the opening stage of the sprint. Or the Belarusian can skip the sprint altogether and finish at least last in the mass start. Khalili or Latypova can only arrange two wins in two races if Anton does not participate in these competitions.

Such scenarios look too unlikely. A year ago, everything was decided in the last race, where the Belarusian wrested the Cup from Eduard Latypov's hands.

In women's competitions, the fight for a trophy and a solid cash receipt is much tighter. Irina Kazakevich won the Commonwealth Cup last season, but this year she is only in sixth place. Victoria Slivko, who has already won the overall Russian Cup this season, has the best chance of final success.

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The top 3 of the women's total of the Commonwealth Cup now looks like this:

1. Victoria Slivko (Russia) – 1602 points.

2. Natalia Shevchenko (Russia) – 1574 points.

3. Dinara Smolskaya (Belarus) – 1565 points.

Some Russians will leave Murmansk with an amount even higher than Smolsky's. The fact is that points in the sprint and mass start of the Commonwealth Cup are also included in the SBR rating, in which Belarusians do not participate. Starting this season, the leaders of this rating for men and women receive 1 million rubles each. The strongest Russian athletes under the age of 23 will also receive 500,000 each.

Daniil Serokhvostov is currently on the first line in the RBU men's ranking, but Eduard Latypov and Karim Khalili are not far behind. In the women's total, Slivko is again the leader. Victoria has a great opportunity to become the first in all three competitions. If everything remains as it is in the totals, then Tyumen in Murmansk will earn at least 1.75 million rubles. Plus, you can also top up your balance for successful performance in individual races. The Commonwealth Cup has the biggest prize money in those competitions that are held under the auspices of the Russian Federation. So, the winners in sprints and mass starts will receive 300 thousand rubles each, and in total, the six best biathletes in individual races will be awarded with cash checks.