Iryna Leshchanka (; ; née Kryuko, born 30 July 1991) is a Belarusian biathlete. She won a gold medal in the 4×6 km relay at the 2018 Olympics. She also competed in the 2014/15 world cup season and represented Belarus at the Biathlon World Championships 2015 in Kontiolahti.
Leshchanka's parents divorced soon after her birth; hence she and her younger brother Victor were raised by their mother. Iryna took up biathlon at age 11, by chance – after their house burned down in a fire, the family moved to a dormitory next to a biathlon training base. Her brother followed her and also became an international biathlon competitor. Iryna debuted internationally at the 2009 World Junior Championships, placing fourth individually. In 2011 she was included in the senior national team.
Olympic Games 1 medal (1 gold) EventIndividualSprintPursuitMass StartRelayMixed relay 2018 Pyeongchang 36th 17th 17th 26th Gold — 2022 Beijing41st60th20th—13th—
World Championships 0 medals EventIndividualSprintPursuitMass StartRelayMixed RelaySingle mixed relay 2015 Kontiolahti 19th — — — 6th — rowspan="3" 2016 Oslo Holmenkollen 64th 66th — — 18th 9th 2017 Hochfilzen 14th 36th 45th — 9th 22nd 2019 Östersund 62nd 26th 33rd 24th 11th — — 2020 Antholz 30th 52nd 49th — 13th 12th — 2021 Pokljuka — 75th — — 4th — 12th *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
Individual podiums
Season Place Competition Placement 2017–18 Annecy, France Mass Start 2
Relay podiums
Season Place Competition Placement 2014–15 Ruhpolding, Germany Relay 2 2020–21 Oberhof, Germany Relay 2 2020–21 Nové Město na Moravě, Czech Republic Relay 2
References
External links