Fortunately, Dmytro Pidrutschnyj is currently only shooting at targets from a biathlon race.
Photo: imago/Mathias Bergfeld
You’ve had a terrible year. Your home country was attacked, you were drafted into the military. And after returning to the sport, you underwent knee surgery in December. Have you ever dreamed of being able to finish fifth here at the Biathlon World Championships in Oberhof, as in the sprint event?
Actually, I had only dreamed of being able to return to my sport at all. That would probably be the case for any athlete in a similar situation. Of course, I was all the more surprised that I was able to pull off such performances here. I didn’t even expect to be able to start training again so quickly after the operation. The results here show that we did the right thing. But that had already been indicated in the IBU Cup (2nd league below the Biathlon World Cup, author’s note) when I was able to achieve third place in the sprint in Obertilliach.
Normally, biathletes build up their form over many months from the fall until the peak of the season. How did you do that in just two?
I can’t explain that either. I really have no idea. Honestly, I thought the best I could do here at the Worlds was 40th or 50th place, but certainly not being in the top six awards ceremony. After rehab, I wasn’t back on skis until January 10th, less than a month before the World Championships. I have to thank my whole team of doctors and coaches for getting me where I am.
Now you know how good your form is. You are also qualified for the mass start. Are the goals set higher now?
Of course I want to show more good races now, which is why I skipped the difficult individual competition on Tuesday. The relay and the mass start are still pending. After so little training, my form would certainly not have been good enough for the entire program.
Norway’s Tarjei Bø, who won the sprint silver and then celebrated with four of his compatriots at the awards ceremony, said afterwards that he couldn’t have asked for a better colleague to complete the top six than you. It is the perfect image to show the world that their two nations stand side by side. You support the Ukrainian team wherever you can. Have you experienced many such reactions since your return?
Yes, it was very nice of him to say that at the press conference. And also very important for my country. There you can see how much the Norwegians help us. Athletes from other nations also support me here or simply tell me how nice it is to see me again. You understand what is happening in our country.
How can you train at all? Videos of a completely destroyed training facility can be seen online.
It’s really very dangerous at home. We actually have two training centers: one on the border with Belarus and one in the west near Poland. The one in the north in Chernihiv, where we always have our national championships, has actually been completely destroyed. Luckily I live in the west of the country, where we still have a functioning facility. But roller skiing was out of the question. So because it’s so dangerous, we trained almost all the time in other European countries. We even held our first summer camp here in Oberhof.
You dedicated your third IBU Cup place finish to a friend in early February. Why?
Just a few days earlier I had learned that my comrade Eduard, with whom I had spoken a great deal over the past few months, had died defending Ukraine. It was obviously a very difficult week for me. I wanted to tell the world about it and I pushed harder to get on the podium.
Almost exactly a year ago, you shocked the global biathlon community with a photo of you in uniform. You must now defend your country, you wrote just days after the Beijing Winter Olympics. Was that your own decision or did you have to go into service at the gun?
To be honest, I didn’t really think about it at the time. I just had to do it and followed our leadership’s instructions when I was drafted into the National Guard.
Did you also fight at the front?
Fortunately not. I was primarily assigned to defend my hometown of Ternopil. It’s to the west, so not directly on the front line. But I also received further military training in case the situation there got worse. It was obviously very tough physically and emotionally, but I was ready for it.
They were released from duty in early summer. Do you fear that the situation will deteriorate and you will have to return to combat?
No, I’m not afraid. I haven’t been to the front lines yet, but I’ve seen enough of them to know what to expect. If I am called again, I will defend my country like any other Ukrainian. I am convinced of that.
How is your family? Is everyone safe?
In the first few months, my family fled to my trainer in Slovakia. In the meantime, however, they are all back in Ternopil, they don’t want to leave their homeland. That’s why I worry about her every day.
Has this experience changed the way you look at the sport?
I served three months before receiving a mandate from our leadership to resume my biathlon training. I should represent my country abroad and tell the people there about the situation in our country. This is now one of my most important tasks in sport.
Russian athletes, on the other hand, are admitted to this World Cup and in almost no other sport. A right decision?
Definitely yes. It would be a big mistake to let them start. After all, the war is not over. So nothing has changed since the decision to isolate the cause of the war internationally. Russia should not be allowed onto the world stage until the war is over and they pay for what they have done.
Nevertheless, the International Olympic Committee is already pushing ahead with a plan to allow some Russian athletes to compete at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris: as neutral athletes. Would that be an option?
No, it would be a big mistake. There are no neutral athletes. We’ve had that experience before. Everyone would know that they are Russians. Fans would also wave the Russian flag.
It is said that in this case the Ukrainians would boycott the games. And this despite the fact that they have been training towards this goal for many years.
Yes, I also think that would lead to a big boycott. And honestly, I would do that too, no matter how much I had previously invested in this dream.
