Dzinara Alimbekava

Dzinara Alimbekava was born on January 5, 1996, in Abay, Kazakhstan. At a young age, her family relocated to Belarus, where she later began her biathlon career. Alimbekava quickly demonstrated potential, securing an IBU Youth World Championships Relay Gold medal early in her career. She made her World Cup debut in 2016 and steadily developed her skills, setting the stage for significant achievements in subsequent seasons. Her dedication to improving her performance in both skiing and shooting became a foundational aspect of her professional progression.

Alimbekava achieved a major milestone by winning an Olympic Relay Gold medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The 2020/21 BMW IBU World Cup season marked a turning point in her career, where she emerged as a prominent figure in biathlon. During this season, her shooting accuracy improved significantly to 90%, contributing to her consistent top finishes. She secured a personal best eighth place in the Kontiolahti women’s 15 km individual and achieved her first-ever World Cup victory in the Hochfilzen sprint.

She concluded the 2020/21 season by winning the Blue Bib title as the best U25 woman in biathlon, a goal she publicly aimed for. In the final competition of the season, the Oestersund women’s 12.5 km mass start, she battled to a second-place finish, solidifying her status. Alimbekava continued to achieve individual podiums, including a third-place finish in the 10 km pursuit at Oberhof in 2022 and multiple second-place finishes in pursuit and mass start events during the 2020–21 and 2021–22 World Cup seasons. In October 2022, she married fellow biathlete Anton Smolski and now competes under the name Dzinara Smolskaya, continuing her pursuit of excellence in the sport.