The Slovenian town of Pokljuka is getting ready for a very special biathlon weekend. Newcomer Anamarija Lampic has taken the hearts of home fans by storm this year. Now, of all things, the next special premiere awaits her in front of her own audience.
It was already clear before the turn of the year that Anamarija Lampic would start at the Biathlon World Cup weekend in her home country. Coach Ricco Groß and Co. cannot and do not want to miss the chance to let the new favorite of the Slovenian fans run in front of their own audience.
Before the first race, the German coach indicated that Lampic might even start in more than one race for the first time. At her debut in Hochfilzen, the former cross-country skier was “only” allowed to run the sprint, now she can also compete in the relay.
“She will have a home game in Pokljuka, which would also be a great opportunity to let her in on the secret of relay racing,” Groß told siol.net. The 27-year-old will “maybe be part of the season, but we don’t know yet. We’ll decide that later,” added the coach, who didn’t want to give any guarantee for a season start.
The praise that Groß paid his newcomer shows that the signs are favorable. “Of course, she had a good start in the World Cup, but even more important were the races in the IBU Cup, where she has to get stability. With her podiums there, she showed what a talent she has,” said the ex-biathlete .
Ricco Groß praises biathlon newcomer Lampic
He was “satisfied” with Lampic’s progress in recent weeks, said Groß, who didn’t want to set his expectations too high, after all, the newcomer still has a lot to learn, especially on the shooting range.
“You can’t learn that in one day. It’s a long process with a lot of ups and downs. But the most important thing is stability. And to get that, it takes a lot of races. At the same time, we have to find the right races in the World Cup, IBU Cup and other competitions for them.”
How much can go wrong when changing sports, even for an exceptional runner like Lampic, was shown at the IBU Cup in Ridnaun, where she made a false start in the pursuit and was disqualified after the race. Looking back, Lampic laughed at her faux pas, and Groß can also see something positive about it.
“That mistake in the pursuit when she started too early actually came in handy. It was a great lesson for her,” said Groß.