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Magdalena Neuner is the most successful German biathlete of all time. The double Olympic champion also had her tricks for dealing with pressure.
Wallgau – “I have noticed again and again that if you take life too seriously and too hard, it will wear you down in the long run.” The statement does not come from a poet or philosopher, but is the insight of Magdalena Neuner. The ex-biathlete talks about both her active time as a professional athlete and her life afterwards.
Magdalena Neuner is still the record world champion in biathlon
Two Olympic victories, twelve world championship titles, 47 World Cup victories and three overall World Cup victories. Magdalena Neuner is probably the best German biathlete of all time and is still the record world champion, but she also had to learn how to deal with pressure.
“As an athlete you live in a very narrow bubble. You feel like it’s the most important thing in the world and everything revolves around it. And if you make two mistakes in biathlon, it’s almost the end of the world,” explains Neuner SZ-Interview her thoughts as a professional athlete.
Magdalena Neuner and Miriam Gössner (now Neureuther) won relay gold together at the 2012 World Championships in Ruhpolding. © imago sports photo service
Neuner used humor to take the pressure off
Especially in moments like this, when the now 36-year-old had “got too much into it,” Neuner’s sense of humor helped. “It helped me that my mental trainer sometimes made fun of me when I started complaining again,” explains the woman from Wallgau.
Over the course of her career, the three-time German athlete of the year has noticed that if you take everything too seriously, you are ultimately only hindering yourself. Even before the race, Neuner tried to take the pressure off himself at some point. And with a special ritual.
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Neuner talks about dark phases in her life
“Before the competition I often consciously talked to Miri Gössner (now Neureuther; Anm. Red.) danced and laughed, we tried to relax. “Just get out of the seriousness, which is still there, but prevent the doggedness.”
In terms of sport, Neuner was mostly able to take the pressure off thanks to her sense of humor. In her private life, the former top athlete always had to struggle with the circumstances surrounding competitive sports. In previous interviews, Neuner spoke of dark phases in her life. The record world champion ended her active career at the age of 25 – without the dances with Miri Neureuther it might have happened even earlier. (kk)