The state-of-the-art Pokljuka Biathlon Centre will host three World Cup biathlon events this week, starting with Thursday's sprint races. The first biathlon competition after the Sochi Winter Olympics will also feature pursuit races on Saturday and mass start races on Sunday.
All the best athletes from Sochi will be competing at Pokljuka, which will see a total of 235 male and female biathletes from 32 countries.
Slovenia's biggest hope is the men's competitions is Jakov Fak, who was second in last year's 15km mass start and won the 10km sprint competition in 2012. His best result in Sochi was fourth place in the 15km race.
Fak told the STA ahead of the event that he was focused on the remainder of the World Cup season. "I'm only looking forward," said Fak, who will look to improve on his current 21st place in the World Cup standings.
Slovenia will also be represented in men's competitions by Klemen Bauer, who is considered a dark horse, Peter Dokl and veteran Janez Marič, who will bid farewell to professional competion after the Pokljuka meet.
Teja Gregorin, the bronze medallist in the 10km pursuit in Sochi, will meanwhile be among the favourites in the women's races despite a recent illness which has limited her to only one training session ahead of Pokljuka.
"It is a home venue, home crowd and I hope I will shoot as good as I can, while in the running I will make sure not to fall too far behind," Gregorin told the press ahead of the event.
Pokljuka World Cup meet schedule:
Thursday: men's 10km sprint, 12:30 PM
women's 7.5km sprint, 3:30 PM
Saturday: men's 12.5km pursuit, 11:15 AM
women's 10km pursuit, 1:25 PM
Sunday: men's 15km mass start, 11:15 AM
women's 12.5km mass start, 1:25 PM
Source: Slovenia Times
