Racing on Feb. 14 (Korea time) at the Antholz biathlon arena in Rasun-Antholz, Italy, Abakumova finished in 23 minutes, 18.3 seconds. She was 58th among 91 competitors.
Biathlon combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting. It became an official Olympic sport at the 1992 Albertville Games.
Abakumova, a former Russian youth national team member, became a naturalized South Korean in 2016. At the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, she finished 16th in the women’s 15km individual, the best Olympic result ever for South Korea in biathlon. At the 2022 Beijing Games, she placed 73rd in the 15km individual and 49th in the 7.5km sprint.
At the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games, Abakumova won gold in the women’s 7.5m sprint, becoming South Korea’s first biathlon gold medalist.
In her third Olympics, Abakumova sought a stronger showing but again finished in the middle to lower ranks. She also placed 63rd in the 15km individual on Feb. 11.
France’s Julia Simon won gold in 41:15.6. France’s Lou Jeanmonnot took silver in 42:08.7, and Bulgaria’s Laura Hristova won bronze in 42:20.1.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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