2024-05-12 00:48:35
BOLZANO. Dorothea Wierer he said “yes” to Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games and “no” to expanding the family. The champion of Italian and world biathlonin difficulty in the last season so much so that she ended it early, will continue her career until the home Olympics, those for biathlon which will take place in the valley so dear to her, that of Anterselva where she was born and raised.
Doro, 34 years old, la first Italian woman to win the overall World Cup (2019 and 2020) of a sport that has always been dominated by Germany, Sweden and Eastern countries but also to become world champion and win a medal in an individual race at the Olympic Games (bronze in the sprint in Beijing 2022), she dissolved the reservations in a video conference with the international media at which we were also present. «After a season where I was always ill, it would have been a real shame to end my career in this way and, therefore, speaking with my staff and seeing that there is the will to continue, I decided to get to the 2026 Olympics», said the Fiamme Gialle biathlete at the start of the press conference.
Why did you choose to continue?
«In these two months I have made several evaluations. On the scale there were pros and cons but the pros were greater. One of the cons was expanding the family, the pros were the Olympics. I would have been sorry to have to regret having given up on the Olympic Games at home where I put on skis for the first time.”
Were you close to retiring?
«Let’s say that the last season was very difficult, I got sick many times, always having to chase, then the problem with sleep, waking up constantly at night, didn’t allow me to rest well. Now I can say that I’m fine, I have new energy.”
Your interruption of the season left open questions, did you read the various comments?
«Yes, and I can say that it bothered me when people said that I only did this for television: I reply, television is part of sport. There were people who said I was pregnant, I really don’t know where they got this news.”
Why the decision to end the season early?
«I faced the last summer preparation with the enthusiasm of always ready to give the best of myself. Unfortunately, from the first weeks of the race I didn’t feel at my best, I started having one flu after another and my body weakened until it hit rock bottom during the Christmas holidays when I found myself really exhausted, weakened. in body and mind. I therefore thought of stopping for a few days to regain my health first of all and then an acceptable condition in view of the World Championships in Nove Mesto, which I clearly arrived at without the condition I aspired to, because I also struggled to have fun, as well as to be competitive. A useless effort, my body was asking me to stop to start from scratch and understand if I still had the motivation to continue my competitive career. I no longer slept, at night I took drops, I woke up, it was definitely not on a physical and mental level.”
What have you done in these two months?
«I led a very normal life, I didn’t train, I was a housewife, I wanted to rest without thinking about sport but by reflecting on myself, I calmed down. In the end I realized that it would have been a shame to end an important part of my life in this way, which saw me win and be a protagonist for so many years.”
How much are the Russians missing in biathlon?
«Russia is a truly important nation for our sport. Politics shouldn’t have anything to do with sport, I’ve always said it but I’m not the one who decides what I say, I hope to see them again as soon as possible.”
You will be present at the Paris Olympics, almost as a “journalist”, what will you do?
«It’s an experience that excites me, it will be something completely new and I will try to give 100% without forgetting that I am a high level athlete. I won’t be a technical commentator, I will like to see tennis which is the sport of the moment but also athletics.”
Do you feel a bit like the “mother” of this Italian group with Vittozzi who went on to win the World Cup?
«It is important that the team is achieving excellent results and I hope they achieve even more. Yes, I feel a little responsible because in 2011 it was a team with few athletes and very few competitive players: seeing the growth was very nice, now we no longer lack anything.”
2024-05-12 00:48:35