MOSCOW/TURIN, February 13 (RIA Novosti, Sergei Kuznetsov) - Russia took home its second gold medal at the winter Olympics in Turin, Italy Monday when Svetlana Ishmuratova won the women's biathlon in San Sicario.
Ishmuratova covered the 15-kilometer course in just less than 50 minutes, including a one-minute penalty for missing a target.
Another Russian, Olga Pyleva, won the silver and German Martina Glagow took the bronze.
"Olympic gold is the ultimate dream of any athlete," Ishmuratova told journalists after the finish, adding that the last 3km loop "was very difficult."
In a dramatic race, Ishmouratova finished in 49 minutes, 24.1 seconds, having cleared 19 targets in 20 shots, which meant a one-minute penalty for her. Pyleva also missed just one target but was slower, finishing 45.5 seconds behind Ishmouratova.
The German team, including current World Cup leader Kati Wilhelm and her teammates Uschi Disl, Martina Glagow and Andrea Henkel, were considered favorites, along with Norway's Liv Grete Poiree, and expectations of gold among their fans reached fever pitch as each cleared all five targets at the first shooting stop. Ishmuratova was fifth at this point even with a perfect performance with the rifle.
At the second stop Disl missed twice, and Wilhelm said goodbye to her hopes at the third stop, leaving three targets untouched, whereas Ishmuratova missed one target but retained her third position in the race, which she had taken after the second shooting stop. Pyleva was then eighth.
In a battle of nerves at the last stop, race leader Poiree missed three targets, but Ishmoratova and Pyleva shot perfectly.
Glagow's excellent finish moved Albina Akhatova, who missed two shots, to fourth place, meaning Russia missed out on a clean sweep.
Opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games in Italy. The best episodes.
