Belarus’ Darya Domracheva dominated again today to become the first female biathlete to win three gold medals at a single Winter Olympics.
Domracheva achieved the Sochi triple in the women’s mass start, winning by 20.2 seconds over silver medalist Gabriela Soukalova of the Czech Republic and 27.3 seconds over bronze medalist Tiril Eckhoff of Norway.
She pairs the mass start win with those from the 10km pursuit and the 15km individual.
Domracheva has also become the most decorated Olympian, Summer or Winter, from her home country.
Susan Dunklee of the U.S. made some history too, as she achieved the best-ever Olympic finish for a U.S. female biathlete with a 12th place finish.
Dunklee managed the result - her own top mark in Sochi - despite three penalties, as she missed one shot each in her final three shooting positions. She ran in the Top 10 for much of the afternoon.
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WOMEN’S BIATHLON - MASS START
1. Darya Domracheva (BLR), 35:25.6
2. Gabriela Soukalova (CZE), 35:45.8
3. Tiril Eckhoff (NOR), 35:52.9
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12. Susan Dunklee (USA), 36:57.9