Biathlete Paulina Batovska Fialkova Finally Ending Sporting Career

Bratislava, 24 March (TASR) - Slovak biathlete Paulina Batovska Fialkova definitely ended her active sporting career after Sunday's mass start race in Oslo, despite showing that she can still compete with the world's best in her farewell race. The Slovak athlete finished seventh in the final race of her career. In the 12.5-km mass start event of the World Cup in Oslo, she incurred just one penalty loop and crossed the finishing line 33 seconds behind the winner, Italy's Lisa Vittozzi. Following the race, Batovska Fialkova said that she doesn't regret her decision to end her sporting career, as she wanted to 'bow out at the top', which she managed to do with her seventh-place finish. She now wants to focus primarily on her family and her daughter, adding that she isn't leaving the biathlon completely. She didn't reveal in what role she might continue with the Slovak team, however. Batovska Fialkova had been considering ending her career for the past two years, and she made her final decision before this season, which ended in Norway only last Sunday. "It had been brewing in me for the entire two years after returning from maternity leave. I think that even before starting preparations for this season, I had already decided in my mind that it would be my last. But I didn't want to announce anything in advance, as opinions can change. Mine didn't, however," she said upon returning to Slovakia. She began her World Cup career in 2012 at the age of 20, achieving several notable results throughout her career. In total, she stood on the World Cup podium eleven times, finishing second on four occasions - most recently in 2020 in the 10-km pursuit race in Ruhpolding, Germany. In the 2025/26 season, she reached the podium once, taking third place in the individual race in Kontiolahti, Finland. ko/df