Heaters for Coaches

This was Nunar’s subtle way of emphasizing that biathlon is a winter, outdoor sport. After relatively mild temperatures that stayed near freezing last week in Hochfilzen, the competitors in the tomorrow’s Individual competitions could see temperatures eight to ten degrees colder than that. In preparation for the potential cold, the coach’s box at the shooting range boasts a unique addition, five outdoor restaurant-type heaters. If the temperatures get as cold as predicted, they will be appreciated, as the shooting range/stadium at Pokljuka can be extremely cold. According to Nunar, “The coaches stand out there for three hours and they get cold. The heaters should make it a little more comfortable. . . No one can explain it, but this spot can be much colder than at the wax cabins, just 250 meters away. Usually, it is 3-4 degrees colder, but once it was minus eighteen on the shooting range and minus 11 at the wax cabins.

Both today and during Monday’s unofficial training, a strong wind cut across the shooting range. This wind was expected to not be an issue on Thursday. Slovenian Coach Uros Velepec said, “The wind will die out tomorrow, as it gets colder.”

Gregorin Strong in Hochfilzen Relay

Velepec said early in the season that his team hoped to start fast and get some good results before the holiday break. That was accomplished, as Klemen Bauer won the Idre IBU Cup Sprint and picked up a 15^th place in the Östersund Sprint and Janez Maric has been in the World Cup points with solid performances. The women have gotten good performances from Andreja Mali and comebacking Dijana Ravnikar. World Championships Medalist Teja Gregorin has been a little slow getting started according to Velepec. “Teja was expecting too much and not relaxed, but now she is coming around. She shot two times clean and skied a great first leg in the Hochfilzen Relay, so she has her confidence now.”

Home Team Confident

At the same time, the small Slovenian wanted to do well at their home World Cup at Pokljuka. After two weeks of World Cup competition, Velepec expressed confidence in his team today. “I am sure we will do well. The men are all doing well. The women were very strong, in the top three for most of the Relay on Sunday.” Regarding “home field” advantage, he was a bit cautious, adding, “We saw the final courses for the first time yesterday along with the other teams. We have not skied them in that direction previously.”

Feels Like a Training Camp

However, the Slovenian Team does have one big advantage; they are not spending 30 minutes each way driving from Bled. They are staying in the Sport Center Hotel, overlooking the shooting range. Bauer commented, “I do not think we realize the advantage to staying up here yet. But the atmosphere in the team is much more relaxed. It feels like a training camp.”

He continued, “We are happy to be back here, but so are the other teams. I have talked to other athletes; they are all smiling and quite happy with the venue and the new tracks here.”

Good Feelings

Regarding his fast start to the season, he said, “Going to Idre was the right decision. The good thing now is that I am not worried my running or about my shape any more. That was a concern last year. Now, I want to have those good feelings (like in Idre and the Östersund Sprint) more often, and actually it is happening; my confidence is good.”

Even if they have not skied the exact courses very much, the Slovenian Biathlon Team is in familiar surroundings, the place they trained before the season; a place they can call home.

Who to Watch, Women and Men

The Individual competitions are a different breed of competition, but the big names should still dominate, especially now that the early season nerves are gone after six competitions.

For the women, the Swedish duo of Jonsson and Olofsson-Zidek, steady-shooting Michaela Ponza of Italy and the now on-target Russians Sleptsova and Zaitseva look like the cream of the crop in the 15K.

In the Men’s 20K, Svendsen and Björndalen are not here, so look for the deadly accurate shooting Austrians Sumann, Landertinger and company, as well as the French duo of Martin and Simon Fourcade, Tim Burke of the USA, and Bjorn Ferry of Sweden.

The temperatures may be cold, but expect the competitions to be hot on Thursday

Video Recap of Hochfilzen

The highlights of the three days in Hochfilzen are captured in the following short video.