Jakov Fak: I will keep delivering as long as I’m healthy

Biathlete Jakov Fak on Friday received the silver medal which he won at Thursday’s 20-kilometre race.

Fak finished just 5.5 seconds behind Norway’s Johannes Thingnes Bø, clearing all 20 targets to claim the first medal of the 2018 Winter Olympics for Slovenia. Fak had a busy schedule in PyeongChang on Thursday: After the post-event press conference, he headed to the Slovenian House, where a celebration was held for him. “This calls for a celebration and we’ll see who survives it,” Fak said.
“It’s been a great day for me, but the best thing is having the medal placed around your neck. I can hardly wait for it to happen. It’s going to be very emotional, and I’m very happy. It’s a great reward for me and my team. We’ve worked very hard, and I’d like to thank all of them,” Fak said after the event. Fak already won a medal in 2010 when he represented Croatia at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. “Both medals are very nice. I’m still waiting for the second one, but I already saw a picture of it [laughs]. Given what I’ve been through this year, the medal means a lot to me.”

“Winning the medal was very satisfying”
Fak spoke about the many problems he has had to face in the past few seasons. He only competed a few times last year, but he managed to come back stronger than ever. After teaming up with Uroš Velepec, the 30-year-old again found the winning formula. “It’s been a fairytale comeback. I basically had to skip the entire last season, and now my dreams have come true. I was disappointed after the Winter Olympics in Sochi. I had been ill prior to the Olympics, but I still fought to the very end. I wanted to win a medal, but ultimately came in fourth at the mass start event. The last two seasons have been tough. I’ve fought hard, but I’ve had health issues all the time. Last year, I only competed at two World Championship events, and looking back I think I shouldn’t have competed at all. This year’s comeback has been a huge victory for me. I got off to a good start this season, then I struggled a little, but winning the medal was very satisfying.”