Onward to Oslo

One last week...this season has flown by!  At this point in the season, everyone is tired and homesick.  There's been a lot of up and down for me, but I've still got fight left!  Pokljuka was a great weekend with two top-40 results.  Finland was tough, though, with challenging conditions and some rough shooting.  These last two weeks have been fun, hard, frustrating and exciting.  But it's been perfect and I've been enjoying every minute of my last biathlon adventure.  I know Oslo will provide the perfect ending to a wonderful career!

Pokljuka never disappoints. Bled is the best place to stay!

 So, off we go for the final push!

The start of the end!

Announcement

After much consideration, I've decided that this will be my last season of professional racing.

I love biathlon and am excited to stay involved in the sport through coaching and development.  I know there will be times when I will miss competing, but I am excited to start this new phase of my life!

I want to thank everyone who has supported me along my journey to two Olympics, three World Championship teams, and many World Cup starts.  I appreciate your support and kind words that helped motivate me for the last 7 years.  It has been an adventure I will never forget and one I know I am so lucky to have had the chance to take.  Thank you all for sharing it with me!

That said, there are still two more weekends of World Cup racing this year, and I will race as hard as ever!  Keep tabs on my final races via Facebook, Twitter and right here on my blog.

All the best,
Sara

Photo credit: Guy Rhodes, USA Today

Sochi Rewind

Better late than never, right?  Here's a photo look-back on the last couple weeks (end of the Olympics, a quick trip to Venice, and training in Inzell, Germany before heading to Pokljuka, Slovenia for World Cup #7).

Racing in the 15km Individual. Sochi was nothing if not beautiful! (photo: Randy Wilber)

My parents and me watching way too many Olympic events on TV at the USA House.

Checking out the scene at Olympic Park!

Flowers in Olympic Park...beautiful!

The Olympic Rings overlooking the Black Sea.

We went to the Coastal Village for Closing Ceremonies...and they had BIKES!

USA Biathlon Women ready for Closing Ceremonies.

I don't know that I'll be back all that soon, but it sure was fun!

Onward to Venice where Carneval was picking up steam!

Spring had also arrived in Italy, meaning lots of fresh produce at the market!

Carneval means Venice is full of costumed people and mask shops.  What better way to celebrate Mardi Gras together?

Now I'm back in race mode here in Pokljuka, Slovenia.  It's beautiful and Spring-like down in Bled...even the flowers are blooming!  But two more weeks of World Cup racing after this mean I can't quite shift into Spring mode myself.  I scored my first World Cup points of the year yesterday in the Sprint, so I'm looking forward to ending the year on a high note over the next couple weeks!