Biathlon: Lea Meier replaces Lea Meier at the world championships in Lenzerheide
At the very start of December, 23-year-old Swiss Lea Meier got her biathlon World Cup winter off to a perfect start by finishing23rd in the individual short in Kontiolahti (Finland).” I put in a good performance with just one fault, and I want to keep up the momentum and stay focused on myself,” she told us at the time.
This top 25 finish, her best career result, put the Swiss skier in an ideal position to qualify for the World Championships in Lenzerheide (Switzerland) on home soil. But then the machine broke down and Lea Meier, who was struggling on her skis, was unable to repeat the performance.
Although she is included in the world selection unveiled by Swiss-Ski, she will in fact only be a substitute. This is a disappointment for Lea Meier, who was crowned world youth champion in the individual event in 2020 on the stadium that will host the world championships from 12 to 23 February.
Qualifying for the Worlds in Lenzerheide has been my big goal for several years,” she tells Nordic Magazine. I didn’t succeed and that’s a bit hard to take. This event is what motivated me every day in training. The other athletes were stronger than me.
European championships as consolation prize
Amy Baserga, Aita Gasparin, Elisa Gasparin and Lena Haecki-Gross will be competing in front of their home fans at the World Championships. As a consolation prize, Lea Meier took part in the European Championships in Martell-Val Martello (Italy) over the last few days.
“I had slightly better races than before on the World Cup [thirteenth in the individual, twenty-second in the sprint, nineteenth in the pursuit, editor’s note]. It’s not bad, but it wasn’t my objective. I wanted to be at the front, but that’s not possible with the form I’m in”, the Swiss regrets.
This week, Lea Meier follows up with the IBU Cup in Ridnaun-Val Ridanna (Italy). It will then be time for the Swiss to return to Lenzerheide, where she will train, rest at home and watch the races. Unless one of her compatriots suffers a health problem and has to withdraw.
- “I want to keep this momentum going”: in the individual short at Kontiolahti, Switzerland’s Lea Meier beat her career-best result
- “It’s really moving”: third in the Ruhpolding individual, Switzerland’s Amy Baserga signs her best career result
- Lenzerheide: the Swiss selection for the first world championships to be held on home soil
