Jakov Fak
Encyclopedia
Jakov Fak is a Croatian-Slovenian biathlete
. As a member of the Croatian biathlon team, Fak won a bronze medal at the World Championships
in 2009 and another bronze at the 2010 Winter Olympics
. In 2010, Fak announced he would move to the Slovenian biathlon team and has represented Slovenia since the beginning of the 2010/2011 season.
Since 2006, Fak has participated in the Biathlon World Cup
. In his first race in the World Cup in Hochfilzen
Fak finished 107th. For a long time his best performance was 47th place which he reached in an Individual race in 2007 in Pokljuka
. In 2007 he participated in his first Biathlon World Championships
, finishing 78th in the Sprint race and 93rd in the Individual.
The big breakthrough in Fak's career came in the 2008/09
season. In the opening race of the season Fak came in 47th but in the Individual he earned his first World cup points with a 38th position finish. In the third stage of the World cup in Hochfilzen
Fak achieved a 16th place finish.
came as a huge surprise. In the opening sprint race Fak improved his career best performance by two more places by finishing 14th. He couldn't improve on that performance in the pursuit falling back to 25th place. The big surprise came in the 20 kilometres individual race where Fak won the bronze medal. A perfect score in the final range would have brought Fak a gold medal, however after one miss Fak had to battle very hard for at least some medal and in the end beat Simon Fourcade
by less than a second to win the bronze. Thus Jakov Fak won Croatia
their first-ever World Championship medal in biathlon.
were substandard. He managed to win his first points in the World Cup only on 24 January, with a 17th place in Antholz
, and was by that time largely forgotten by the public.
At the 2010 Winter Olympics
in Vancouver
, Fak once again created a sensation by winning the bronze medal in the 10 km sprint.
in Russia to focus on recovering from his injury and saving his finger.
Biathlon
Biathlon is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. However, biathlon usually refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting...
. As a member of the Croatian biathlon team, Fak won a bronze medal at the World Championships
Biathlon World Championships 2009
The 43rd Biathlon World Championships were held in Pyeongchang, South Korea from February 13 to February 22, 2009. It was the first time that the Biathlon World Championships were held in Asia ....
in 2009 and another bronze at the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
. In 2010, Fak announced he would move to the Slovenian biathlon team and has represented Slovenia since the beginning of the 2010/2011 season.
Career
Fak began to compete in biathlon in 2001 under the trainer Robert Petrović. His first international biathlon tournament was the Junior World Championships in Ridnaun in 2002 where his best result was 64th place in the Sprint event. Fak improved his performance in 2008, eventually finishing in the top 10 at that year's Junior World Championships.Since 2006, Fak has participated in the Biathlon World Cup
Biathlon World Cup
The Biathlon World Cup has been held since the winter seasons of 1977/78 and 1982/83, for men and women, respectively ....
. In his first race in the World Cup in Hochfilzen
Hochfilzen
Hochfilzen is a small village in Tyrol, Austria, in the Kitzbühel district. It is located at , in the Pillersee valley 5km west of Fieberbrunn. Population was 1,109 in 2001.It is a popular winter sports resort, especially for cross country skiing...
Fak finished 107th. For a long time his best performance was 47th place which he reached in an Individual race in 2007 in Pokljuka
Pokljuka
Pokljuka is a foresty plateau at the altitude of around 1300 metres, situated partly in the municipality of Bled and partly in municipality of Bohinj in northwestern Slovenia. It is part of Triglav national park...
. In 2007 he participated in his first Biathlon World Championships
Biathlon World Championships
The first Biathlon World Championships was held in 1958, with individual and team contests for men. The number of events has grown significantly over the years. Beginning in 1984, women biathletes had their own World Championships, and finally, from 1989, both genders have been participating in...
, finishing 78th in the Sprint race and 93rd in the Individual.
The big breakthrough in Fak's career came in the 2008/09
2008–09 Biathlon World Cup
The 2008–09 Biathlon World Cup is a multi-race tournament over a season of biathlon, organised by the International Biathlon Union...
season. In the opening race of the season Fak came in 47th but in the Individual he earned his first World cup points with a 38th position finish. In the third stage of the World cup in Hochfilzen
Hochfilzen
Hochfilzen is a small village in Tyrol, Austria, in the Kitzbühel district. It is located at , in the Pillersee valley 5km west of Fieberbrunn. Population was 1,109 in 2001.It is a popular winter sports resort, especially for cross country skiing...
Fak achieved a 16th place finish.
Biathlon World Championships 2009
Despite several respectable performances in the World Cup, Fak's performance at the Biathlon World Championships 2009Biathlon World Championships 2009
The 43rd Biathlon World Championships were held in Pyeongchang, South Korea from February 13 to February 22, 2009. It was the first time that the Biathlon World Championships were held in Asia ....
came as a huge surprise. In the opening sprint race Fak improved his career best performance by two more places by finishing 14th. He couldn't improve on that performance in the pursuit falling back to 25th place. The big surprise came in the 20 kilometres individual race where Fak won the bronze medal. A perfect score in the final range would have brought Fak a gold medal, however after one miss Fak had to battle very hard for at least some medal and in the end beat Simon Fourcade
Simon Fourcade
Simon Fourcade is a French biathlete. His younger brother Martin Fourcade is also a biathlete.-External links:**...
by less than a second to win the bronze. Thus Jakov Fak won Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
their first-ever World Championship medal in biathlon.
2010 Winter Olympics
After his success in the World Championships, the expectations were high, but Fak's World Cup race performances in the 2009–10 season2009–10 Biathlon World Cup
The 2009–10 Biathlon World Cup was a multi-race tournament over a season of biathlon, organised by the International Biathlon Union. The season started December 2, 2009 in Östersund, Sweden and ended March 28, 2010 with the Mixed Relay World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia...
were substandard. He managed to win his first points in the World Cup only on 24 January, with a 17th place in Antholz
Rasen-Antholz
Rasen-Antholz is a municipality in South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 110 km northeast of the city of Trento and about 60 km northeast of the city of Bolzano, on the border with Austria.-Geography:...
, and was by that time largely forgotten by the public.
At the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Fak once again created a sensation by winning the bronze medal in the 10 km sprint.
Switch of Citizenship
In July 2010 it was announced in the Slovenian Press that Fak would represent Slovenia in international competition. On 19 November the switch to the Slovenian Biatlethe team was officially announced and Fak received his Slovenian passport on 24 November, enabling him to compete for Slovenia.Career threatening injury
At the world cup races in the US in 2011 which were held in freezing temperatures Jakov Fak suffered 3rd degree frostbite to his trigger finger. It is feared his finger may have to be amputated which would certainly end his career as a biathlete. Jakov and his coaches decided to pull out of the Biathlon World Championships 2011Biathlon World Championships 2011
The 44th Biathlon World Championships was held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia from March 3 to March 13 2011.There was a total of 11 competitions: sprint, pursuit, individual, mass start, and relay races for men and women, and mixed relay...
in Russia to focus on recovering from his injury and saving his finger.