site.btaBulgarian Biathlete Anton Sinapov: “There Are Certainly Chances for Medal; Bulgarian Winter Sports Have Shown Huge Progress in Recent Years”

National biathlete Anton Sinapov has already held a training session with the Bulgarian team on the Olympic course in Antholz ahead of the starts at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games. He hopes to show the best of himself and said that every athlete dreams of a medal at such a major forum, and that in recent years winter sports in Bulgaria have made enormous progress.

“The Olympics are a different kind of competition. Naturally, everyone comes to fight at 100%, to show the best of themselves. Everyone dreams and wants to win a medal at such a big forum. It’s very different because the pressure is enormous. There are certainly chances for a medal. You know that in recent years winter sports in Bulgaria have shown enormous progress and great advancement across all disciplines—not only in biathlon, but also in alpine snowboarding, alpine skiing, and ski jumping—all winter sports have huge potential. I think that if everyone manages to pull themselves together and concentrate, this is realistic and possible. Of course, you also need luck on competition day,” the biathlete said.

He said that most of the team were ill before this camp but after several training sessions they have had over the past few days, they do better by the day. "Naturally, illnesses affect sporting form, but I hope that we will be in good condition for the competition. Of course, our expectations are high - everyone can speak for themselves, but personally, as this will be my third Olympics, I already have experience and I hope to show my best, because over the last two or three years I have trained very hard. For me, it would be like a reward if I manage to show my abilities at 100%,” Sinapov said.

He is satisfied with conditions in Italy.

“The conditions are great. Every year we have a World Cup round here, we know the course very well. The difference between this course and absolutely all the others is that it is quite demanding. The altitude itself plays a major role. And now, with the new snow that fell a few days ago, it makes skiing a bit more difficult for the athletes. But yes, we are familiar with the course; there is nothing that is different from previous years. I hope we won’t have any surprises,” he added.

Sinapov clarified that it would become clear later tonight who would take part in the 4x6 km mixed relay on Sunday.

“We will have a meeting tonight. The coaches will tell us what the program will be and we’ll have clarity for the coming days,” the Bulgarian said.

He added that the Olympic spirit is not strongly felt in Antholz.

“Here, because we are not in the Olympic Village, it’s not like in Milan. We are staying in a regular hotel, just like we were during the training camp around Christmas and New Year. Down in the town, 10–15 km from here, there is an Olympic hotel and it’s a bit different there, while here we don’t feel the Olympic spirit 100% the way we did at the previous two Olympics, with the Olympic village and all athletes in one place. That’s what’s different about this Olympics, but I don’t think it’s fatal,” Sinapov said.

He revealed that the hosts have made changes to the course and that it is exciting to hear the support of the 20,000-strong crowd at the finish.

“Oh yes, of course. There are very big changes. One of them is that they slightly altered the course. The approach to the finish was made exactly the same as in Oslo Holmenkollen. This year and last year, starting from last year, the final loop passes behind the shooting range. Before, it was a bit different. But as an organization, this is one of the three major World Cup venues held here, and they always perform at an extremely high level. It’s very exciting to hear the crowd at the finish. Even more people gather here, but it’s certainly thrilling to compete in front of so many people and spectators. And what’s even more exciting is that in our sport the crowd supports absolutely every competitor,” the national team athlete added.