KENT biathlete Hugh Pritchard will be hoping that practice makes perfect when he steps onto the snow to make his Winter Olympic debut in Salt Lake City on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old from Whitstable goes in the men's biathlon relay and says his preparations since arriving in Utah could hardly have gone better. Speaking from his hotel, Pritchard revealed that he has now shrugged off the infection which hampered his training at the team's pre-Olympic holding camp in Canada.

The biathlon is a sport which combines cross-country ski-ing and shooting, and Pritchard, the only civilian member of the four-man British team, explained: "I think I probably picked up the cold before I went to Canada but it was while I was out there that it really blew up. I got an infection in my lungs for which I was prescribed anti biotics but I'm better now and hopefully come Wednesday everything should be okay.

"The snow is good and conditions on the race track are fantastic. It's an interesting course. There are no steep hills although there are one or two sweeping bends on the downhills which means we will all have to be careful."

In the relay each member of the British team will ski 7.5k as well as having two shoots, one prone and one standing. Britain are ranked 19th in the world although they are the highest ranked country unable to train at home.