Anastasiya Merkushyna
Anastasiya Merkushyna (Ukrainian: Анастасія Олегівна Меркушина; born 14 January 1995) is a Ukrainian biathlete. She is World Championships medalist. She participated at 2018 Winter Olympics.
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | Ukrainian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 14 January 1995 Pidhorodne, Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 47 kg (104 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Professional information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Biathlon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Dynamo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup debut | 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympic Games | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 1 (2018) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 3 (2017–2020) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 3 (0 gold) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
Her first international successes were medals at Junior World and European championships. Merkushyna is two-time bronze medalist in girls' individual at 2013 and 2016 Junior Worlds, Junior World and two-time silver medalist in relay, three-time Junior European champion and three-time European medalist. In 2012 he qualified for 2012 Winter Youth Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, where she was 14th both in sprint and pursuit.
Before receiving a spot in Ukrainian national team, she took part in IBU Cup competitions. Her first World Cup race was in Swedish Östersund in 2014–15 season where she finished 51st in individual. There she also competed in sprint finishing 87th. Then she missed two World Cup stages returning in Oberhof, Germany. Since Ukrainian team lacked its leaders (both Sochi Olympic champions Vita Semerenko and Olena Pidhrushna missed that season) she was invited to relay team. Merkushyna did her job well by shooting without additional shots. Nevertheless, her personal results weren't good enough to debut at World championships. Next season she spent in IBU Cup competitions.
On 11 December 2016, Anastasiya Had her first relay podium in Pokljuka, Slovenia. In sprint in Oberhof she earned her first World Cup points. Since then she is a member of national team on a regular basis. She participated at 2017 Worlds where she showed great achievements as for debut: 10th in sprint, 8th in pursuit, and 14th in mass start. Merkushyna won silver medal in relay.
She qualified to represent Ukraine at the 2018 Winter Olympics.[1] In Pyeongchang her best achievement was 46th place in pursuit and 11th in relay. In an interview, she was disappointed about her performances and even cried.
Personal life
Her mother, Iryna Merkushina, is a former Ukrainian biathlete and 2003 World Championships silver medalist in relay. Her father Oleh is a coach. Anastasiya's parents were her first trainers.
Merkushyna studies management and international business at Ternopil National Economic University.
Results
Olympics
0 medals
| Event | Individual | Sprint | Pursuit | Mass start | Relay | Mixed relay |
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70th | 55th | 46th | — | 11th | — |
World Championships
2 medals (1 silver, 1 bronze)
| Event | Individual | Sprint | Pursuit | Mass start | Relay | Mixed relay | Single mixed relay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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33rd | 10th | 8th | 14th | Silver | — | N/A |
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10th | 28th | 15th | 25th | Bronze | 7th | 5th |
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— | — | 5th |
- *During Olympic seasons competitions are only held for those events not included in the Olympic program.
- **The single mixed relay was added as an event in 2019.
World Cup
Relay podiums
| Season | Place | Competition | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 |  | Relay | 3 |
| 2017–18 |  | Mixed relay | 2 |
| 2018–19 | | Single mixed relay | 3 |
IBU Cup
Individual podiums
| Season | Place | Competition | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | | Sprint | 2 |
| 2016–17 | | Sprint | 1 |
References
- "Ukrainian squad for the 2018 Winter Olympics". Ukrainian Biathlon Federation. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
External links
- Anastasiya Merkushyna at BiathlonWorld.com and BiathlonResults.com from IBU
- Biathlon.com.ua