It was a record finish for Monika Hojnisz-Staręga at the Olympic Games, but it could have been much more, as she struggled to keep her cool in the biathlon

Falling temperatures and heavy snow in Beijing pushed the challenge of all outdoor events to another level, even extinguishing the Olympic flame in the process! One athlete who was determined not to be put out was Hojnisz-Staręga. The 30 year old from Chorzów led an impressive charge to 9^th place in the women’s 10km pursuit.

This was Hojnisz-Staręga’s best finish at a Games, and whilst it was an achievement she wished to fully celebrate, she was left with a tinge of disappointment. Her competitive runs on the skis were hampered by two missed shots in the first round of shooting – her only errors in the whole competition. Those two errors resulted two 150 metre penalty loops, likely forsaking a silver medal.

In an interview with Eurosport.pl, Hojnisz-Staręga said, “If my finish had been further back [from the podium], then it wouldn’t hurt as much. It’s a shame as the rest [of the shooting] was clean.” Explaining what went wrong, the biathlete said, “on the first shooting round, I experienced a change in wind conditions.”

Meanwhile, in the men’s 12.5km pursuit, Grzegorz Guzik finished in 54^th position. An error-strewn performance in the shooting rounds cost Guzik dearly as the 30 year old finished almost 8 minutes behind the winner.

Michał Jaciczek and Paweł Pyjas experienced the worst of the conditions today, which seriously affected the visibility in the men’s giant slalom. Both skiers failed to make the second run after falling foul to the treacherous weather which had played havoc with so many down the course at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre. As many as 32 competitors had failed to complete the course and unfortunately, the two Polish representatives were part of that group.

The speed skating may be safe from the outdoor elements, but in no way does the tension and pressure lower. In the women’s 500m, Poland saw this event as one of their biggest chances of achieving a medal. The responsibility of delivering that expectation landed on the shoulders of Kaja Ziomek and Andżelika Wójcik.

The two skaters have in the last three years been stepping up in the rankings, and were arriving in Beijing with some decent pedigree, having both won medals in the recent World Single Distance Championships and European Championships. Despite a valiant effort from both Ziomek and Wójcik, they weren’t able to hit top form, finishing 9^th and 11^th, respectively. However, these two athletes will be ones to earmark for the future.

Elsewhere, on the short track rink, Natalia Maliszewska, Kamila Stormowska, Nikola Mazur and Patrycja Maliszewska finished 2nd in the B final, and 6^th in the overall ranking. The Polish team – who have endured a difficult Games both on and off the ice – crossed the line with an overriding sense of relief after their race, as they were finally able to a good performance down without the drama of crashes and penalties.