Biathlon-Merkushyna aims to spark joy for fellow Ukrainians at Milano Cortina

ANTERSELVA, Italy, Feb 10 : Such is the popularity of biathlon in war-torn Ukraine that winter sports fans have been buying generators to provide power so they can watch the country's young competitors such as Oleksandra Merkushyna in action at the Milano Cortina Olympics. 

In a sport requiring physical endurance on the track and calmness on the shooting range, that might mean extra pressure on the likes of the 21-year-old but she sees it as a privilege to have a chance to give her compatriots a moment to celebrate. 

"Biathlon is really popular in Ukraine - I think now it's like getting closer to the (popularity of the national) football team, so I'm really happy about this," Merkushyna told Reuters. 

"I don't feel I'm popular in the real life, but people talk about the biathlon team a lot in the social media, so it's cool - everyone wants a medal from biathlon because they like biathlon (back home), so we will try our best here."

The sharpshooter, who joined mother Iryna and older sister Anastasiya among the ranks of the family's Olympians when she took part in Sunday's mixed relay, had just completed a final training session ahead of Wednesday's 15km individual race.

Ukrainian competitors at the Games are well aware of their potential to lift their nation's spirits. 

Russia currently occupies about 20 per cent of Ukraine's national territory, including Crimea and parts of the eastern Donbas region seized before the 2022 invasion.

Russian and Belarusian athletes are banned from competing under their nation's flags at the Olympics because of the war, which is into its fifth year.

"It's a bit of pressure, because I know that they have no electricity in Ukraine, and they bought, like, generators to watch biathlon," Merkushyna