Pavol Hurajt
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Pavol Hurajt | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 4 February 1978 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Professional information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Biathlon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Dukla Banská Bystrica | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup debut | 8 December 1999 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympic Games | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 3 (2006, 2010, 2014) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 1 (0 gold) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 12 (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 15 (1999/2000–2013/14) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Individual victories | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| All victories | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Individual podiums | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| All podiums | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pavol Hurajt (born 4 February 1978) is a Slovak former biathlete.
Biathlon results
All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union.[2]
Olympic Games
1 medal (1 silver)
| Event | Individual | Sprint | Pursuit | Mass start | Relay | Mixed relay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 Turin | 29th | 29th | 24th | — | 14th | N/a |
| 2010 Vancouver | 5th | 7th | 16th | Silver | 15th | N/a |
| 2014 Sochi | 28th | 51st | 52nd | — | 12th | 5th |
- *The mixed relay was added as an event in 2014.
World Championships
| Event | Individual | Sprint | Pursuit | Mass start | Relay | Mixed relay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Oslo Holmenkollen | 76th | 80th | — | — | — | N/a |
| 2001 Pokljuka | 74th | 68th | — | — | 18th | N/a |
| 2003 Khanty-Mansiysk | 23rd | 19th | 26th | — | 14th | N/a |
| 2004 Oberhof | 49th | 74th | — | — | 10th | N/a |
| 2005 Hochfilzen | 83rd | 70th | — | — | 14th | 16th |
| 2007 Antholz-Anterselva | 38th | 83rd | — | — | 15th | — |
| 2008 Östersund | 46th | 14th | 20th | 19th | 9th | 14th |
| 2009 Pyeongchang | 40th | 20th | 53rd | — | 12th | 10th |
| 2010 Khanty-Mansiysk | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | 14th |
| 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk | 23rd | 96th | — | — | 18th | 12th |
| 2012 Ruhpolding | 78th | 76th | — | — | 12th | — |
| 2013 Nové Město | 61st | 49th | 37th | — | 10th | 7th |
- *During Olympic seasons competitions are only held for those events not included in the Olympic program.
- **Mixed relay was added as an event in 2005.
Controversy
After retiring from his sports career, he and his wife Janka opened a traditional Slovak restaurant in the village of Štrba. However, their venture into hospitality has not been without scandal. At their chalet-style restaurant Žerucha, they reportedly served meat from a protected species the brown bear. In a video, restaurant staff confirmed to reporters that obtaining bear meat only requires having the right contacts at the Tatra National Park Administration (TANAP), which is headed by a man with a criminal conviction for poaching wolves.[3][4]
According to the civic initiative MY SME LES (“We Are the Forest”), Hurajt was selling meat from a protected animal without the required permit from the Ministry of the Environment.[5]
The Ministry confirmed that while exemptions from the ban on commercial use of protected species, such as trading in bear meat, can be granted, this only happens when all legal conditions are met. “At present, the ministry has received no such exemption request. The exemption is typically issued to the seller, who then transfers the specimen to the buyer,” the ministry stated. The Slovak Environmental Inspectorate stated that a violation of the law had been confirmed in this case, and the operator will be fined.[6][7]
References
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Pavol Hurajt". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
- ^ "Pavol Hurajt". IBU Datacenter. International Biathlon Union. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
- ^ Mäkká, Soňa (24 January 2024). "To je arogancia moci. Pytliaka na čele TANAP-u komentujú Kiska, Baláž, bývalý riaditeľ parku a aj starostovia z Tatier". Denník N (in Slovak). Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ^ "Medvedie mäso v reštaurácii | TV Markíza". www.markiza.sk (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ^ "Aktuality". My sme les (in Slovak). Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ^ "V reštaurácii bývalého olympionika ponúkali menu z medveďa: Incidentom už sa zaoberá inšpekcia životného prostredia". Topky.sk (in Slovak). 12 November 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ^ "Medvedie špeciality predávali bez potrebnej výnimky. Zistili sme, že podnik v Tatranskej Štrbe ju nemal | TVNOVINY.sk". tvnoviny.sk (in Slovak). 11 November 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
External links
- Pavol Hurajt at IBU BiathlonWorld.com
- Pavol Hurajt at IBU BiathlonResults.com
- Pavol Hurajt at Olympedia
- Pavol Hurajt at Olympics.com
- Pavol Hurajt at Olympic.sk (in Slovak)