Ljubljana - Anamarija Lampič, Slovenia's best cross-country skier, has announced a switch to biathlon, a decision she says was long in the making since she had wanted to become a biathlete as a child.

"After the end of the season I thought long and hard about what to do. I've achieved a lot in cross-country, everything I set out to achieve - except in Beijing this year, where I accomplished a lot but not as much as I could have," she said on Monday.

Lampič , 26, notched up three individual wins and a total of 14 individual podiums in the Cross-Country World Cup, plus a team win and three team podiums. She was 8th overall in the World Cup in 2021 and 2022, and she won the sprint title in 2021.

In Beijing she was 17th in the 10-kilometre event and 12th in the sprint.

While she said she wants to reach all the way to the top in biathlon, she acknowledged that she would have to work on the freestyle, which is not her speciality, while shooting will be an even bigger challenge.

"I don't see a problem with the running, I've made progress in the freestyle in the last few seasons, but I'll see how I adjust to the shooting," Lampič said, adding that she has been shooting in secret in her home town.

"I'm a technical type, I can adjust quickly."