SOCHI, Aug 25 Olympic champion of the Games in Pyeongchang Belarusian Dinara Alimbekova won in the sprint race at the first stage of the Commonwealth Summer Biathlon Cup in Sochi. Alimbekova made two misses on two firing lines and showed a time of 21 minutes 43.7 seconds. Russian Anastasia Shevchenko (+0.5 seconds; no misses) became the silver medalist, Irina Kazakevich (+2.3 seconds; two misses) took the bronze medal. The Commonwealth Biathlon Cup stage started on Thursday. Earlier, the Russian Anton Babikov became the winner of the men's sprint. Earlier, the International Biathlon Union (IBU) suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions under its auspices and suspended the membership of the RBU and BFB against the backdrop of the situation in Ukraine. These decisions were made in accordance with the recommendation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
