Andrejs Rastorgujevs claimed a decisive victory in the men’s 7.5-kilometer mass start at the final round of the Latvian Summer Biathlon Championship in Cēsis, finishing with a time of 37:20.3 while incurring two penalties over four shooting stages according to official results reported by biatlons.lv. The competition marked the conclusion of the summer racing program at the venue, drawing competitors across multiple age brackets from senior elite fields down to youth categories.
Andrejs Rastorgujevs Secures Mass Start Victory at Cēsis Summer Biathlon Championships
Andrejs Rastorgujevs won the men’s 7.5km mass start at the Cēsis Summer Biathlon Championships with a time of 37:20.3 and two shooting penalties, leading a field that included runner-up Matīss Meirāns and third-place finisher Kristiāns Kārlsbergs, as reported by biatlons.lv.
Men’s Elite and Junior Podium Results
Behind Rastorgujevs in the premier men’s mass start, Matīss Meirāns secured second place despite struggling on the shooting range with 10 total penalties, finishing 3:16.5 behind the winner according to biatlons.lv. Kristiāns Kārlsbergs took third place with four missed targets, crossing the finish line 5:24.6 back from the champion. In the M21 category, Adrians Māris Šņoriņš edged out the competition in 40:44.1, holding off Olivers Bresme by just 16.2 seconds, while third-place finisher Ernests Solovjovs finished 33.9 seconds off the pace.
Additional junior and youth men’s divisions saw strong fields battle through the Cēsis course. Jānis Žagars won the M19 class in 45:56.2, leading Ernests Skride by 1:18.4 and Kristers Beikulis. Markuss Āboliņš took the M17 title with a time of 35:38.3, beating Armands Gulbis by 31.7 seconds. In the M15 group, which featured 24 competitors, Toms Makstnieks captured first place in 26:10.1, finishing 26.2 seconds ahead of Mārtiņš Āboliņš and 41.2 seconds ahead of Gustavs Spolītis as documented by biatlons.lv.
Women’s Elite and Junior Standings
Sandra Buliņa triumphed in the women's 6-kilometer race, overcoming 11 shooting mistakes to clock a winning time of 35:55.3 per biatlons.lv. Her sister, Sanita Buliņa, claimed second place with eight penalties, finishing 1:36.3 behind the winner. Enia Kalniņa-Kārlsberga rounded out the podium in third place, also missing eight targets and finishing 7:48.4 behind Sandra Buliņa.
Youth women’s competition featured tight margins across categories. Martīne Djatkoviča led the W19 class with a finish time of 35:23.5, ahead of Laura Alziņa and Annija Krieviņa. Jeļizaveta Boroņenko won the W17 division in 38:23.5 over Adele Šlēziņa and Vanesa Patrīcija Skopiņa. In the W15 category, Ariana Kodaļeva secured victory in 28:16.5, defeating Stella Umleja by 46.7 seconds and Ieva Zvirgzdiņa by over a minute according to biatlons.lv.
Veterans and Youth Cross-Country Results
Master classes featured wins by Rainers Upenieks in M30, Andis Pušņakovs in M40, Mareks Birkentāls in M50, and Leonīds Valdonis in M60 as recorded by biatlons.lv. The race day opened with the youngest competitors in the M13 and W13 age groups contesting a 1.2-kilometer cross-country race. Emīls Nils Krūmiņš won the M13 event in 4:46.6, narrowly beating Rūdolfs Žagars by 1.7 seconds and Daniels Matisāns by 2.5 seconds. Luīze Spalviņa took the W13 race in 4:53.8, leading Alise Krastiņa and Angelīna Pudāne.
Worth a look