Sloveniens bästa orienterare ansluter till Malungs OK:s elitverksamhet. 24-åriga Mark Bogataj från staden Žiri, fem mil väster om Ljubljana, väljer att från och med 1 juli representera Malungs OK. Vi tog tempen på Mark under utsättningshelgen i början av juni där vi fick lära känna honom bättre.
Welcome to the club Mark – tell us a bit about yourself!
Tack så mycket! So, my name is Mark and I come from Slovenia. Currently, I am a final year master’s student in computer science, dedicating a significant portion of my time to training sessions.
Some of us know that you already understand some Swedish – how does it come?
Inte så bra. I mean it’s true that I understand some Swedish words and can grasp certain things from the context, but that is pretty much it. But, I’m interested in learning more Swedish and currently I’m trying to expand my vocabulary to be able to form some basic sentences.
You were joining us for one camp in Sälen in the beginning of June, what was your first impression of the club and the terrain in “the Swedish mountains”?
My first impression of the club was incredibly positive. The members were welcoming and friendly, making me feel right at home from the start. I was also impressed by the club’s level of organization and professionalism. I also want to point out the team spirit which is one of a kind.
It always bring a smile to my face when you call Sälen “the Swedish mountains”, because if you come from a country with the Alps the difference in scale and appearance can be quite striking 😄. Anyways, the terrain was amazing, I liked the open areas and those wooden planks going over the marshes. But besides all the nice adjectives, the terrain can be also very tricky which I experienced on the very first training.
What are your ambitions with orienteering?
The main ambition currently is to develop further and progress in the sport. But besides that, my main focus at the moment is mostly on the relays such as Tiomila and Jukola and one of the ambitions is also achieving a jättebra result with the team.
You have been running some good relay-legs this year, and especially first-legs – is this some kind of specialty?
Tack! Hm, I don’t know. Maybe it’s too soon to say it is a speciality, but yeah I just like running first legs, because I think they are the most fun. They can be quite intense but still, very fun!
What do you see as your strengths as a runner?
Definitely my speed, stamina and determination.
And the last question, when do we see you in Sweden next time?
Very soon actually, I’m coming to Falun in the middle of August.
Varmt välkommen till klubben Mark!
