Biathlon: Dorothea Wierer reassured in Norway
Last winter, Dorothea Wierer brought her biathlon World Cup season to a premature end after experiencing major difficulties in both her shooting and skiing. Determined not to let that sour note get the better of her, the Italian decided to train with the men’s team for much of the summer preparation period.
Present in Norway this weekend for the opening Norwegian races in Sjusjøen (Norway), the Transalpine was donning a race number for the first time since 18 February, the date of her last race on snow during the mass-start of the world championships in Nove Mesto (Czech Republic).
And this comeback was reassuring for the 34-year-old biathlete. Fifteenth on the line, just over a minute behind winner Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, she was satisfied with her result in the mixed zone. I’m happy even though I wasn’t feeling as good today as I have in recent days,” she told Fondo Italia. But after putting the bib back on for the first time since February and after all the ups and downs I’ve been through, I can’t help but be pleased with how I feel.”
And while she believes she still “needs a bit more intensity and pace”, Dorothea Wierer still battled with the wind for a long time during her first run at the targets. On the last two shots, the wind shifted and I didn’t realise it because it wasn’t a real gust,” she says. Maybe I was in a bit of a hurry to finish my shot, because you know how quickly the wind can change here.
And despite a timid 7/10, the native of Brunico (Italy) put down some fine marks on her skis to defend her chances: “On the skis, it wasn’t too bad. I’m not at the top yet, but I’m finally able to work hard, unlike last year when I had a real block that didn’t allow me to give my all. I thought it was going to be worse”, she admitted to our journalists.
Read also
- Dorothea Wierer and the Italian men’s national team head for Sjusjøen
- Sjusjøen: Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold strongest in the sprint of the Norwegian opening races, Anastasiya Kuzmina surprisingly fourth
