Evgeny Ustyugov

Born Evgeny Romanovich Ustyugov on 4 June 1985 in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, he is a retired biathlete. His mother Olga Rudolfovna and father Roman Valeryevich were professional cross-country skiers. Together with his brother Alexander, Ustyugov began skiing at the age of three. He discovered biathlon in the 1997 event "Pionerskaya Pravda". His family of athletics agreed Ustyugov to proceed in building a career as a professional biathlete. His first coach was Viktor Ermakov. Ustyugov began competing at the Junior World Championships. His first was in 2005 in Kontiolahti. He finished 12th in the Individual, 42nd in the sprint and 36th in the pursuit. Ustyugov wasn't happy with such results but they weren't enough to throw him in despair. So next year at the 2006 Junior World Championships in Presque Isle, Evgeny Ustyugov was a sensation. He won 3 medals - two gold in the Individual and pursuit and one silver in the relay. Also came so close to the podium in the sprint but eventually ended up 4th. Ustyugov made his first World Cup appearance on 8 January 2009 in Oberhof. He took part at the World Championships in Pyeongchang, where placed 55th in the Individual, 47th in the sprint, 20th in the pursuit and 6th in the relay. The 2009-2010 season was a complete success for the Russian biathlete. Ustyugov achieved two World Cup victories. His first was in Pokljuka when he won the pursuit. After that in the sprint in Oberhof, only a year after his debut in the winter town, he returned with a victory. But the highlight in his career was still yet to come. At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the first in his life, Evgeny Ustyugov won two medals - a gold in the 15 km mass start and a bronze with the relay team. He placed 4th in the Individual and 15th in both sprint and pursuit events. This remarkable season concluded for him at number 4 in the overall. During the 2011-2012 season Ustyugov finished 5th in the first race of the season - the Individual in Östersund. In Oberhof he finished 3rd in the sprint. At the World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk, Ustyugov won two silver medals in the mass start and the relay. Finished the season at number 13 in the overall. The 2012-2013 was signed with two 2nd places in the sprints in Sochi and Ruhpolding. At the World Championships in 2013 in Nove Mesto, Ustyugov positioned 48th in the Individual, 9th in the sprint, 16th in the pursuit and mass start and 4th in the relay. He concluded the season 6th in the overall. In 2013-2014, Ustyugov finished 3rd twice in the mass start in Pokljuka and in the Individual in Ruhpolding. Made a good 4th place in the sprint in Oberhof. This results were a powerful motivation for the upcoming Olympics in February 2014 in Sochi. From the Games he won a gold medal with the relay alongside Alexey Volkov, Dmitry Malyshko and Anton Shipulin. In the other disciplines Ustyugov placed 37th in the Individual, 16th in the sprint, 5th in the pursuit and 19th in the mass start. After the Olympics on 5 April 2014, Evgeny Ustyugov announced his retirement.