The Slovenian mixed relay, consisting of Polona Klemenčič, Anamarija Lampič, Anton Vidmar, and Lovro Planko, finished in tenth place in the last race of the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon Pokljuka 2025. The Swedish team claimed victory ahead of France and Norway.
Polona Klemenčič was the first Slovenian biathlete on the track and, after shooting flawlessly and hitting all ten targets, she handed over in fifth place. At that point, Slovenia was trailing Norway, Sweden, Poland, and Germany. “I’m really pleased that I stayed focused and had a good race. I kept up with the others in the first lap, but in the second, I didn’t push too hard to avoid mistakes at the shooting range. I managed another clean round,” said a satisfied Polona Klemenčič after the race.
Anamarija Lampič, who had secured a podium finish in Saturday’s mass start race, started strong again on Sunday. She hit all five targets in the prone position and left the shooting range in third place. However, she struggled in the standing position, and after three penalty loops, she dropped to 13th place, trying to make up for the deficit with her running. “Even before the start, I was worried about my shooting because I was very tired. I lacked energy – I went to bed late on Saturday. The adrenaline kept me awake, and I just couldn’t sleep. Days like these, when you’re on your feet all day and dealing with various obligations, take their toll. I tried to regain some energy with sugar, and it worked until the second lap. But at the shooting range, my whole body was shaking, so I’m glad I at least hit two targets. I’m sorry for the others – Polona did an amazing job,” admitted Anamarija Lampič. She added: “Everything has to align perfectly. I’m still not a sharpshooter who can aim high in every race. I need to train, build up gradually, and focus on individual competitions.”
Anton Vidmar took over next, starting in tenth place and maintaining that position. “I’m not satisfied. I could have done better on my home shooting range. But my season is ending on an upward trajectory, and that’s something to be happy about,” summarized Vidmar.
Lovro Planko was the last Slovenian to compete, battling for a higher position against teams from Ukraine and Poland. In the end, the Slovenian team finished in tenth place. “We haven’t done this well in a mixed relay this season until now, so we must have done something right. My performance was solid, though I wish I had made fewer mistakes at the shooting range. In the final lap, I built a small lead over the Polish athlete so that I could greet the fans in Pokljuka – I really wanted to do that,” concluded Planko.
The Swedish team, consisting of Anna Karin Heijdenberg, Hanna Öberg, Martin Ponsiluoma, and Sebastian Samuelsson, celebrated the victory. They were contenders for the win from the start, with the Norwegians as their closest rivals. In the French team, Oceane Michelon had to make up for Jeanne Richard’s mistake, as Richard had to complete a penalty loop in the first leg, but by the halfway mark, France had climbed to third place. Eric Perrot caught up with and overtook both Martin Ponsiluoma and Johannes Dale Skjevdal. However, when Quentin Fillon Maillet had to correct three shots in the final exchange, Swedish athlete Sebastian Samuelsson and Norwegian Isak Frey pulled away. The French managed to catch the Norwegians in the final shooting stage, but they could only battle for second place, as the Swede had a 24-second lead going into the final lap. In the end, the French mixed relay had more strength in the skiing and secured second place, while Norway finished the mixed relay in third.
