Biathlon World Championships, women's 7.5 km sprint, February 10, 2023, Oberhof, Germany. Czech competitor Tereza Voborníková.
Oberhof (Germany) – Tereza Voborníková was satisfied with the best result of her career so far and the way the tracks in Oberhof fit her, after her lifetime 18th place in the sprint at the World Championships. The 22-year-old biathlete unexpectedly attacked the top ten, but she paid the price for a mistake in the last shot. She also received an award from coach Egil Gjelland, who in front of journalists described her as a great hope for the future.
Advertisement'; }
“I'm surprised that I'm doing so well here so far. I've been feeling great running since the European Championships, so I hope that it will keep me going for the whole time and that my shooting will keep me going,” said Voborníková.
The two-time junior world champion left behind in the final order, for example, the Slovak Paulína Bátovská-Fialková, the French Anais Chevalierová-Bouchetová or the Italian Dorothea Wiererová, with whom she began to greet. “I ran into her again in the morning while jogging, so I crossed off my luck that I need to meet her before the race. If I meet her on Sunday, it will be good,” said Voborníková with a smile.
On the track, she tried to ride tactically and protect herself from the unpleasant wind. That got her revenge in the first round. “I was riding with Mari Ederová and I tactically pointed at her if she wanted to ride for a while and she snapped at me saying no. I'm not even surprised because I wouldn't want to go forward at that moment either. Dragging the whole bike in this wind it was really unpleasant. In the second round, I ended up behind one of the Ukrainian women,” noted Voborníková, who had the 26th running time.
In contrast to the mixed relay, she completely coped with shooting lying down and was close to success even in the “standing position”. However, she missed the last target and had to take a penalty lap, which cost her a place in the top ten. “I have nothing more to say about that, because it's really terrible,” regretted Voborníková. “It was for three hours, I started it well and thought it would fall, but it didn't. There's nothing terrible here at the shooting range for one, it's just the last shot,” said the native of Vrchlabí.
According to coach Gjelland, however, Voborníková made a big progress compared to the beginning of the season. At the World Championships, she also followed up on the opening leg in the mixed relay, where she handed off in seventh place. “It's all about training and development. Terka is still young and her performances are up and down. It takes time. But she has great potential,” said Gjelland.
Voborníková will start Sunday's pursuit race fifteen seconds from the top ten . However, he will want to enter his next start at his first WC with a clear head. “Most of the time, I try to enjoy the sprints. It's a contact race and you have to drive a bit sensibly there. The sprint, on the other hand, hurts a lot,” added Voborníková.
