– It is quite beyond.
Fifth place in Thursday’s sprint in Anterselva causes Ole Einar Bjørndalen to use big words about Slovenian Anamarija Lampic.
– She shoots two misses and is number five in her first year. It is a sensation, an absolutely insane achievement, says TV 2’s biathlon expert.
Lampic replaced cross-country skiing with biathlon before this season. She also finished fifth in her World Cup debut in Hochfilzen last month.
There is also Bjørndalen shocked.
– I will continue to protest like this. I exceeded my plans for the season and I really just want to enjoy it, Lampic adds The Slovenian Biathlon Union after Thursday’s fifth place.
Track WC shock
Bjørndalen believes Lampic can also shock in the WC in Oberstdorf.
– In Oberstdorf there are longer slopes, so Lampic does not have the advantage of Hochfilzen and Anterselva, but it can work if there is a fast route, says TV 2’s biathlon expert.
– I have predicted her on the podium in the sprint if it is quickly first. I think she can be the biggest surprise in the WC, says Bjørndalen.
He is surprised by Lampic’s meteoric career as a biathlete.
PHANTOM START: Former cross-country skier Anamarija Lampic has two fifth places in the World Cup so far in her debut season as a biathlete. Photo: Matic Klansek / BILDBYRÅN
– But she is very motivated, says the coach. She makes things easy, and she is motivated and eager to continue shooting. She has a great coach in Ricco Gross, who was also a good biathlete, says Bjørndalen.
Like a victory
The aforementioned Gross praises his pupil.
– It was a great run by Anamarija. The shooting with two booms is good. She was only ten seconds off the podium, and she will get there eventually, says Gross The Slovenian Biathlon Union.
Lampic, who took WC bronze in the cross-country sprint in Oberstdorf in 2021, says that she and the coach made a good plan before Thursday’s race.
– Ricco and I agreed that I should slow down in the last kilometer or 500 meters before entering the stand, so I should focus on the shooting. It was very good, says Lampic, who thinks the result was like a victory for her.
THE COACH: German Ricco Gross (tv), here together with Ole Einar Bjørndalen after the start of the WC hunting in 2004, is responsible for Anamarija Lampic and the Slovenian biathletes. Photo: ECKEHARD SCHULZ
Coach Gross believes Lampic can be good enough to take his first World Cup victory within two years.
– She is the first woman to finish fifth in the World Cup in her first season. That is impressive. She is a machine in the groove. We knew she was a good cross-country runner, especially in sprints, but also at distance, says Gross to Estonian ERR.
TV 2 and NRK will broadcast the WC in biathlon from 8 February.
