Robert Sircus insists he now understands how important having a steady hand and a coolness under pressure is to pursuing a career in biathlon following the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival.
Sircus rounded off his week at the Festival in Brasov, Romania with the 7.5km sprint competition but struggled with his shooting in the range, missing five targets in all.
And that wayward rifle cost Sircus dear as he came home in a time of 26:50.3minutes, good enough for 72nd overall with fellow Brit Sam Cairns 62nd and Lachlan Cowie 78th.
After the disappointment of Tuesday’s 12.5km individual event, where he was 74th, Sircus had spoken of the importance of not letting the occasion get the better of him in Brasov.
But after another disappointment the 17-year-old admitted he still had a long way to go although he is determined to get there sooner rather than later.
“I am a little bit upset with my result but the field was very competitive with a lot of the guys here training full-time and competing in the bigger events,” he said.
“My skiing was pretty good but my shooting let me down a little otherwise it was an OK performance.
“I think I still expect too much of myself, I think I need to stop doing that before I can improve. I need to relax more and enjoy the competition and the experience more.
“I think I need to learn to relax and not get so desperate to win all of the time.”
© Sportsbeat 2013