Lencerheide, Switzerland – The Latvian biathlon team finished 17th in the mixed relay at the 2025 World Youth Championships in Lencerheide, Switzerland, as reported by several Latvian news outlets including liepajniekiem.lv, and Sportacentrs.com. The result comes as Latvia continues to see success at the championships, having already secured three medals.
The Latvian team’s performance in the relay followed a strong showing from Estere Volfa and Elza Bleidele earlier in the week. Volfa and Bleidele both achieved impressive results in the individual sprint events, with Volfa experiencing a particularly emotional moment when learning of Bleidele’s medal win, as captured in a video shared by Jauns.lv. This display of camaraderie and support within the Latvian team highlights the positive atmosphere surrounding the young biathletes.
While the specific composition of the Latvian relay team wasn’t immediately available, the 17th-place finish represents a solid performance against a competitive field of international athletes. The World Youth Championships serve as a crucial platform for developing biathletes, providing valuable experience and exposure on the world stage.
The 2025 World Championships in Lencerheide, which concluded on February 23rd, featured 12 disciplines: sprint, pursuit, individual, mass start, men’s and women’s relays, and two mixed relays. The event, hosted at the Roland Arena biathlon stadium, marked the first time Switzerland had hosted the World Championships since 1985, when it hosted the women’s event in Einsiedeln. Prior to this, Lencerheide had previously hosted the 2023 European Championships, as well as IBU Cup and World Cup stages.
France dominated the medal table at the 2025 World Championships, securing a total of 13 medals, including 6 gold. French biathlete Julia Simon was a standout performer, winning four gold medals (one individual and three in relays). Norwegian biathlete Johannes Thingnes Bø, in what was reportedly his final World Championships appearance, also had a successful competition, earning three gold, one silver, and one bronze medal. His performance allowed him to surpass Ole Einar Bjørndalen’s record for the most gold medals won at the World Championships, bringing his total to 23.
The Latvian Biathlon Federation (LBF) recently addressed publicly raised concerns regarding a letter from Latvian biathletes requesting the inclusion of coach Ilmārs Brics in the Latvian delegation for the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympic Games. The LBF has stated it has made a decision regarding this request and will communicate the reasoning behind it. Details of that decision were not immediately available.
The success of Latvian biathletes at the World Youth Championships, coupled with the ongoing discussions surrounding the Olympic delegation, underscores the growing momentum within Latvian biathlon. The team’s performance in Lencerheide provides a positive outlook for the future of the sport in Latvia.
For fans following the Latvian biathlon team, the next key event will be the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. The selection process for the Olympic team is underway, and the inclusion of coach Ilmārs Brics remains a topic of discussion. Further updates on team selection and competition schedules will be available through the Latvian Biathlon Federation website (https://biatlons.lv/).
