Biathlon : Anna Gandler far from the best
At the end of last winter, Austrian biathlete Anna Gandler had won three consecutive World Cup flower ceremonies. So it was only logical that she should want to do even better this season and reach the podium.
Unfortunately, the Austrian lacks form at the start of the 2024/2025 World Cup. After finishing in the top 20 in Kontiolahti (Finland) and then in the top 30 at home in Hochfilzen (Austria) last week, she had a nightmare sprint in Grand-Bornand (Haute-Savoie). 72nd at the finish at 7/10 and with the 67th fastest time in cross-country skiing, she was disappointed in the mixed zone.
The crowd was incredible, but there’s something seriously wrong with my body,” she told Nordic Magazine. I need to see a doctor in Austria. It was really hard on the skis. I’m too far back to do the pursuit, but in any case, I don’t think there would have been any point in doing another race. I’m not in good shape at the moment, I really need to take a break.
Slowed down during the summer and autumn by illness, Anna Gandler believes that her poor form was caused by this. “I feel that something is wrong with my body and I have the impression that I’m going to fall ill… I almost think that I shouldn’t have done this sprint. I almost think I shouldn’t have done this sprint,” she admits.
With her 2024 year now over, Anna Gandler will now be able to concentrate on her health and come back stronger in a few weeks’ time.
- Le Grand-Bornand: redemption for Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, who won the sprint by a whisker ahead of Franziska Preuss
- Justine Braisaz-Bouchet after her success in the Grand-Bornand sprint: “A fantastic result”.
- “A bend with your name on it is just crazy! In the sprint, Jeanne Richard finished twelfth and was thrilled with her first race in Le Grand-Bornand.
- Julia Simon, seventh in the Grand-Bornand sprint, was reassured: “I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel as far as my physical sensations are concerned”.
