site.btaBiathlete Lora Hristova in Milan Cortina: "Not Sure This Is My Olympics but I Feel Great"

Biathlete Lora Hristova recorded a prestigious seventh place in Sunday's 10-kilometre pursuit at the Olympics in Milan Cortina and once again proved herself as one of the best competitors at the Games.

Hristova won a bronze medal in the 15-km individual start on February 11, she ranked 11th in the 7.5-km sprint on Saturday, and she made progress with four more places in Sunday's pursuit.

She commented that she does not know if these Olympics are exactly hers but she feels great. "I really like this place [Antholz-Anterselva]. I feel quite prepared. I think it is very easy for me to compete at high altitude. Because I have heard from many of my colleagues that this is a problem for them. They say they have difficulty breathing because we are high up. I feel very good and I see it as an advantage. Yes, fatigue builds up - I felt it even during the warm-up. But despite that, I managed to maintain a good speed. It is the same for me as it is for everyone else," she commented.

Another Bulgarian biathlete, Milena Todorova, too performed strongly at the Games, with both athletes earning the right to participate in the mass start of the top 30 on February 21.

"I am very happy that we have made you have expectations for the national biathlon team, for our team. I am glad that we managed to qualify for the top positions. Positions that allow us to see the Bulgarian flag on the scoreboard. I hope that we will perform well again in the next two races. We are already attracting the interest of foreign media. This gives us confidence, we are starting in the front row with the biggest names. But even if I had a lower number, I would still have the same confidence," said 22-year-old Hristova.

"It is a big advantage that we are starting from the front rows and it is easier to stay ahead. Milena and I are performing well. There is definitely hope for our relay team. I believe that the other girls will also perform well," she added.

"It is true that today [Sunday] I moved up four places compared to the sprint. Will we see a similar jump on Saturday [February 21]? Anything is possible. But let us not make predictions, let us just enjoy the competition," Hristova said.