Biathlon: a course in Antholz over the festive period
Confident after a good start to the season and fifth place overall in the World Cup, Finland’s Suvi Minkkinen heads into the World Cup in Oberhof (Germany) keen to build on the momentum she created before the break. The 31-year-old biathlete chose the future Olympic track in Antholz (Italy) to train on between the Grand-Bornand stage (Haute-Savoie) and the weekend in Thuringia.
“After Le Grand-Bornand, I stayed in Antholz. The conditions were good and I was able to do some really good training on the Olympic pistes. It was important for me to continue building up my fitness”, she told Nordic Magazine a few hours before handing in her race number.
After three podium finishes, including her first World Cup victory in the sprint in Östersund ( Sweden), Suvi Minkkinen is hoping above all for continuity in Oberhof, at a venue renowned for its demanding conditions.
“I hope to be able to race in the same way as I did in December. My aim is to have good races, get good results and continue to improve my form for the Olympics.”
For the rest of the winter, Suvi Minkkinen has not yet decided on his entire programme. In particular, the question of his participation in the World Cup stage in Nove Mesto (Czech Republic) remains open.
“We’ve discussed Nove Mesto, but the decision hasn’t been taken yet,” says the Finn. The biathlete prefers to take her time to assess the situation after Oberhof, depending on how she feels and what preparation she feels is best for the rest of the season. ” We’ll see how this week goes, then we’ll decide what’s best to do,” she concludes.
Read also
- The full programme for the Oberhof World Cup, the fourth stage of the 2025/2026 season
- Change of programme at Oberhof: the two sprints will take place on Thursday because of the bad weather forecast for Friday.
- Caroline Colombo: my best memory of… Oberhof
- Oberhof: Finland with Suvi Minkkinen as leader for the first World Cup in 2026
- Suvi Minkkinen, winner of her first World Cup victory in the Östersund sprint: “It’s incredible”.
- Östersund: winner of the sprint, Suvi Minkkinen takes the yellow bib as World Cup leader
- Le Grand-Bornand: suffering from physical problems, Suvi Minkkinen “concentrated on the shooting range” to take second place in the pursuit
