Hugh Pritchard
Biathlete.co.uk

Season's Targets	Outcome
1. World Cup Team	Yes, in the end
2. Win at National Championships	Sort of: I had the fastest time in the relay (with a good run); I was 2nd in the Sprint (with a great run) and 3rd in the Individual (with a poor run).
3. 2x 10% results at World Cup	Not achieved. Did 3 World Cup races, with results between 15.8% and 16.5%. I was not at best form for these; next year I will certainly be a better biathlete, and need to be on better form as well.
Overall, a satisfactory performance, except for the most important thing: the Olympic qualifying results. However, I am now (I think) established as a respectable member of the World Cup team, and so with the performance improvements I expect to make over the Summer getting the World Cup starts in December should be reasonably straightforward.

The season started slowly, with a couple of poor results at a pre-season event at Obertilliach and an atrocious Sprint in the first European Cup race; in the Pursuit I missed 2/20 for my first sub-10% time ever in a European Cup race (also my best shooting result yet). Things got gradually better.

After the new year, I found some much better form: at Forni Avoltri and Ridnaun; with a new micropeaking plan I was skiing quickly, shooting 70-80%. From there I went on to the intensive racing schedule of the TA champs (5 races in 9 days), which brought me to a peak at the national champs for the Sprint and Relay, skiing fast and shooting 95% for those two races. Thereafter my legs hurt more or less all the time (overdosed on skating?). At the World Champs I was not allowed to race, and did the wrong thing in staying there, as the training was not ideal (I should have gone straight home, and early to the USA).

By the time I raced on the World Cup in the USA, my form had gone, and I was not skiing very fast. As it happened, nor were the other Brits, so my results were close to theirs. I shot 70-80%.