For a while it even looked like a possible win, then a podium. In the end, it was a flower ceremony and a beautiful fifth place in the sprint race at Annecy Le Grand-Bornand.
Paulína Bátovská Fialková gave a fantastic performance. After two clean shots on the track, she flew and increased her pace at the end.
“I finally managed to have a perfect race, from the start to the finish. I was able to score the two zeros I had dreamed of and I had a great run. Today will be a perfect day for me, no matter how the result turns out. I will be proud of myself,” she said after reaching the finish line, where she eagerly followed the progress of the race.
“Keep your fingers crossed,” she said with a smile on her face.
However, the conditions were excellent and the other biathletes also did well.
She struggled at first
The thirty-three-year-old biathlete did not start the season the way she imagined. She couldn’t rely on either running or shooting, which she trained so conscientiously during the summer.
“More than shooting, I’m worried that I can’t rely on my fast feet. I believe that race after race it will click and I’ll be back,” she told Slovak Biathlon after placing 74th in the endurance race in Östersund.
“I felt better running, but I can’t find comfort on the shooting range. I can’t imitate hundreds and hundreds of zeroes from training in the race,” she said after finishing 51st in the sprint race in Hochfilzen.
Her sister Ivona Zvaríková often mentioned in the STVR studio that Slovak biathletes lack race pace and it takes some time before they fully jump into the World Cup. Even hundreds of rounds fired in preparation may not bring the desired result right at the beginning of the season.
France bears witness to it
However, it “clicked” for Bátovská Fialková. Everything worked out for her in Annecy Le Grand-Bornand. She posted the fifth fastest time and flawless shooting entries.
„For me, it’s better to start as soon as possible after the shot, while I’m in the swing and don’t have to start. I like when it has a fast fall, so the number 9 is great,” she said before the race.
She confirmed that the French center is testifying to her. After all, at the same time last year here, she took third place in the race with a mass start after a great finish, when she overtook an exhausted Jeanne Richardová at the finish line.
“It’s a different profile of the track, there are no steep climbs, but stretches. It’s a very strong track. Before the start, we talked with the girls that it’s probably because of our age that we are more comfortable with the power tracks than the hilly ones. Maybe it’s because it suited me here last year too,” thought the Slovakian.
It’s been six years since she last managed to hit two zeros in a sprint. Then she also took an excellent fourth place (Hochfilzen 2019).
Almost a home party
Hanna Öberg won the race ahead of Lou Jeanmonot and Dorothea Wierer. Lisa Vitozziová finished just ahead of Bátovská Fialková.
“It’s a great feeling. I was really excited at the finish line. I feel like I’m a better biathlete this year than in recent years. In the races I’ve done so far, I’ve never been able to put everything together in one start.
The fact that I managed to do it today means a lot to me. Even if you feel like you’ve improved, you can’t claim it until you prove it in real competition. And today I finally succeeded,” said the winner for the IBU.
Paulína Bátovská Fialková at the ceremony after the sprint race in Annecy-Le Grand Bornand. (Author: Igor Stančík/Slovak Biathlon)
Her final round shocked and completely silenced the French audience, which was already counting on the victory of Lou Jeanmonnot.
“The last lap was very difficult. I was watching the split times and I felt like I wasn’t losing to her at all, but I wasn’t gaining either. It wasn’t until the very end that I managed to drop a few seconds. I was incredibly happy at the finish line when I saw the number 1 next to my name.
Maybe I should apologize for ruining the French celebration today. If there was any reaction from the French audience, it was silence,” she added.
Bad luck for Kapustová
Mária Remeňová also advanced to Saturday’s pursuit race, taking 46th place with one mistake.
Ema Kapustová was extremely unlucky, despite her clear shooting, she finished 61st. She was only two tenths of a second short of advancing to the fighter.
Zuzana Remeňová, who returned to the World Cup after good results in the IBU Cup, took 86th place.
Slovak female biathletes will try to improve their positions in the pursuit race, which is scheduled for Saturday, December 20 at 12:15 p.m. Bátovská Fialková starts the track with a deficit of 16.2 seconds.
