Completely surprisingly, Anamarija Lampic switched from cross-country skiing to biathlon in the summer of 2022. The Slovenian felt right at home there and celebrated successes that she had never expected. Your plans for the future are clear – and extremely ambitious.
Before the first biathlon season of her life, Anamarija Lampic actually intended to bake small rolls. “My goal was to start in the IBU Cup. If I had finished in the top 30, that would have been a good sign,” said the 27-year-old in an interview with the news portal “Siol.net”.
In the end it turned out differently. The always good-humored cheerful nature also started in the 2nd biathlon league. Her German head coach Ricco Groß thought it was a good idea to throw her into the cold World Cup water in Hochfilzen. And there Lampic popped the cork in her very first race with fifth place.
“That was an instant ‘Wow’! for me. […] I never thought something like this would even be possible,” she reflected on her sensational debut. “It all came together. I had good skis, felt great, had zero penalties prone which nobody expected and only three penalties standing. It was going really well for me,” Lampic explained.
However, it was immediately clear to her that this success would be an upward trend. “You then realize that the circumstances were perfect that day and that it won’t always be like that,” Lampic realistically assessed her chances of further success in the elite league.
Shooting became the stumbling block for the newcomer in the weeks that followed. That didn’t come as a surprise, after all, the Slovenian completed a standing position for the first time in September 2022. Three to four penalties per shooting became the norm for them.
“It’s a lot about the shooting position, which I still have to develop and train. I have to come to the shooting range so often that my position is always the same. Now it’s different every time. Especially when I’m before run fast, give everything and my legs are still shaking”, Lampic described her biggest problems in the standing position.
The Slovenian still has major difficulties with the ever-changing conditions at the shooting range. “But that also causes problems for the old hands. Even the best miss. I have to admit that it helps me too. If even the best miss, why should a slightly worse shooting in difficult conditions bother me? I’m at the end still a beginner,” said the Slovenian.
The former cross-country skier naturally has her greatest strengths in the cross-country ski run. It was not uncommon for her to set the best time in the World Cup. However, Lampic was not aware that this would be the case before she switched sports.
“A lot of people have told me it is [im Biathlon] is different. That you lose your technique and run worse when you have a gun on your back. you warned me But I don’t feel these differences. I run almost the same as without a gun,” explained the 27-year-old, who described her switch to the biathlon camp as the “right decision” and said: “I just needed a change.”
Lampic a “real biathlete” in four years
A return to cross-country skiing is no longer an option for Lampic after her first biathlon season. Rather, the Slovenian has set herself ambitious goals for the future in her new job.
“In four years I want to be a real, professional biathlete who knows exactly what she wants and what her goals are. Then the results will also be important. But now I’m still in the learning phase. It will also be a year or so so last. I learned the basics of biathlon as well as possible. Now I have to sharpen them so that a lot of things become automatic for me and I implement them without thinking about it,” said Lampic, describing her ambitious plans for the future.
Judging by her debut season in the World Cup, there aren’t many who doubt that she’ll achieve those goals.