In a thrilling Olympic sprint biathlon event, French athlete Quentin Fillon Maillet took home the gold with a time of 22 minutes and 53.1 seconds. Following closely were two Norwegians, Vetle Sjastad Christiansen and Sturla Holm Lægreid, who finished 13.7 seconds and 15.9 seconds behind respectively. These athletes, along with Emilien Jacqueline and Sebastian Samuelsson, displayed perfect shooting precision during the competition.

Latvia’s Renārs Birkentāls entered the competition as a strong contender for qualification into the Olympic mass start, being the second reserve on the list. Unfortunately, he fell short in the first round, unable to maintain a competitive pace while struggling with his shooting performance, only hitting two out of five targets and incurring significant penalties that pushed him far from the TOP30. His performance reflected a disappointing start as he faced challenges right from the beginning.

The setbacks continued into the second shooting round, where Birkentāls managed to perform slightly better in the standing position but still made critical mistakes. His inability to capitalize on his shooting opportunities illustrated the high stakes and pressure of Olympic-level competition, ultimately resulting in his exclusion from a final qualifying spot for the pursuit race. In contrast, the overall strong performances from other Latvian athletes have contributed positively to the national team's morale as they advance further in the games.