OLYMPICS: Gregorin Adds 5th Place to Bronze Medal
Sochi, 17 February - Teja Gregorin, who won Slovenia's first ever biathlon Olympics medal last week with a third place in the women's 10km pursuit event, finished fifth in Monday's Olympic 12.5km mass start competition.
Russia, Sochi
Slovenia biathlete Teja Gregorin.
Photo: Stanko Gruden/STA
Russia, Sochi
Slovenia biathlete Teja Gregorin.
Photo: Stanko Gruden/STA
Russia, Sochi
Slovenia biathlete Teja Gregorin.
Photo: Stanko Gruden/STA
Russia, Sochi
Slovenia biathlete Teja Gregorin.
Photo: Stanko Gruden/STA
Russia, Sochi
Slovenia biathlete Teja Gregorin.
Photo: Stanko Gruden/STA
Russia, Sochi
Slovenia biathlete Teja Gregorin.
Photo: Stanko Gruden/STA
Russia, Sochi
Slovenia biathlete Teja Gregorin.
Photo: Stanko Gruden/STA
Russia, Sochi
Slovenia biathlete Teja Gregorin.
Photo: Stanko Gruden/STA
Russia, Sochi
Slovenia biathlete Teja Gregorin.
Photo: Stanko Gruden/STA
Darya Domracheva of Belarus won her third consecutive gold in Sochi and was followed by Czech athlete Gabriela Soukalova and Tiril Eckhoff of Norway.
Gregorin hit all 20 targets, but was unable to keep up with Tiril Eckhoff and fourth-placed Germany's Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle in the final kilometres of the race.
The 33-year-old Slovenian told Radio Slovenia that she had felt very good at the shooting range and knew she would do well, but she was not able to follow the running pace for third place. "Thus I'm happy with fifth place."
"I have achieved all the goals that I have set for myself before coming to Sochi," Gregorin, who will be returning home on Thursday, commented and added she could have used another day or two of rest: "When I was twenty, I had no problems running several days in a row; now I could use a day or two between races."
Gregorin's coach Uroš Velepec was also happy with her performance: "She came in fifth and that means her bronze medal was no coincidence. Too bad today did not turn out as well but in the end, fifth place is an excellent achievement as well."