Iryna Leshchanka

Iryna Leshchanka, born on 30 July 1991 and known before marriage as Kryuko, is a Belarusian biathlete who won a gold medal in the 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. Her parents divorced soon after her birth and she was raised by her mother with her younger brother Victor, who also became an international biathlete. She took up biathlon at age 11, by chance, after a fire destroyed the family house and they moved to a dormitory next to a biathlon training base. She debuted internationally at the 2009 World Junior Championships, placing fourth individually, and joined the senior national team in 2011.