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Biathlon: Poles looking ahead to new season under German coach

29.10.2020 07:00
Poland’s women’s biathlon team is stepping up training ahead of the new World Cup season, which begins next month, its German coach Michael Greis has said.
Polands Monika Hojnisz-Staręga in action during the womens 15km individual race at the IBU Biathlon World Championships in AntholzAnterselva, Italy, 18 February 2020.
Poland's Monika Hojnisz-Staręga in action during the women's 15km individual race at the IBU Biathlon World Championships in Antholz/Anterselva, Italy, 18 February 2020.Photo: PAP/EPA/ANDREA SOLERO

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, it is not yet known if fans will be allowed to cheer on their favorite teams when the sport's top international competitors return to action in late November, Greis said.

He told Poland’s PAP news agency that he was satisfied with the work done by the Polish team in the preparatory period.

"You never know what to expect in the new season,” said Greis, who took over as head coach for the Polish women’s biathlon team last year to replace Ukrainian Nadiya Bilova.

“It's going to be a bit of a weird season, so we're simply focusing on making sure that each member of the team makes progress,” he added.

A team of Monika Hojnisz-Staręga, Kamila Żuk, Kinga Zbylut, Karolina Pitoń, Joanna Jakieła and Natalia Tomaszewska has been selected to attend a training camp in Imatra, Finland, as part of final preparations for the new World Cup season, according to Greis.

The camp starts on November 8, and a day later the Polish men's biathlon team under its new Norwegian coach Anders Bratli is expected to arrive there as well, the PAP news agency reported.

The new season is due to kick off in Kontiolahti, Finland, on November 28, where a series of competitions are planned to be held over two consecutive weekends before the World Cup circuit moves to Hochfilzen, Austria, for events on December 11-13 and December 17-20.

Further stops are scheduled for January 7-10 and January 13-17 in Oberhof, Germany.

Hojnisz-Staręga, Poland’s top biathlete, finished 12th in the overall World Cup standings in the previous season.

Meanwhile, Kamila Żuk, a two-time world junior champion, finished 38th in her first season as a Biathlon World Cup regular.

(gs/pk)

Source: PAP