Gold medalist Cai Jiayun of China celebrates on the podium during the awards ceremony for the para biathlon men's sprint pursuit standing competition at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics in Val di Fiemme, Italy, March 13, 2026. (Photo: VCG)
On the final day of biathlon events at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics, China's Cai Jaiyun and Yu Shuang completed stellar performances, each claiming gold medals on Friday.
Cai led the charge, winning the men's sprint pursuit standing final.
Participants skied four kilometers, stopping twice for shooting sections, and Cai showcased remarkable precision by hitting all of his targets. Initially moving into second place, he executed a fierce sprint in the final chase, edging out Ukraine's Grygoriy Vovchynskyi by a mere 0.2 seconds to seal the victory.
This triumph marks Cai's third gold at this edition of the Games and sixth medal of his Winter Paralympics career, a significant achievement considering he previously earned two silvers and a bronze in cross-country skiing four years ago at Beijing 2022. Remarkably, this was his first appearance in as a biathlon competitor, and he claimed gold in all of his three events.
China's Yu Shuang (L) and his guide Shang Jincai celebrate as they win the men biathlon sprint pursuit during the Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy, March 13, 2026. (Photo: VCG)
Meanwhile, in the men's sprint pursuit vision impaired final, skier Yu Shuang and his guide Shang Jincai also earned a gold medal, further contributing to China's outstanding performance in Italy.
The Chinese biathlon team concluded this year's Games with an impressive tally of 8 gold, 5 silver, and 2 bronze medals, the squad's best performance in the history of the Winter Paralympics.