Latvian biathlete Rihards Lozbers takes second place in European young winter athlete award

Rihards Lozbers, a 17-year-old Latvian biathlete, has taken second place in the Piotr Nurowski Award, which names him among the best young winter sport athletes in Europe. The award is given to young athletes in Europe and was presented for the 11th time this year. First place in the winter sports category went to Ukrainian snowboarder Dmytro Luchkin.

What the award means

The Piotr Nurowski Award assesses not only the results of young athletes but also their attitude, discipline, personality and commitment to Olympic values. Winners are chosen separately for summer and winter sports.

Lozbers said that being among the five best young European athletes and finishing second is a great honour and one of the biggest achievements of his career so far. He is currently focused on training and preparing for next season's competitions.

The biathlete encouraged other young athletes to believe in themselves. In his words, everything is possible if you truly want it, but success requires hard work and faith in your goals.

Results last season

Last season Lozbers won four medals at the world junior and youth championships: two gold and two silver. He also became the youngest male biathlete in history to earn World Cup points and to qualify for a World Cup mass start.

The Latvian Olympic Committee and the sports community expressed pride in his achievements. They also thanked his family and coaches for their work, wishing the young biathlete endurance, determination and success in his future career.