Dorothea Wierer talks Winter Olympics Milano Cortina 2026, returning to biathlon and rediscovering her groove
Updated 06/02/2025 at 15:27 GMT
Ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, which are now just one year from getting underway, Dorothea Wierer speaks about her excitement for a home Games, her decision about returning to biathlon when it looked as if she might step away from the sport, and why she has been surprised by that decision. Wierer will be one of the stars of the games for host nation Italy.
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Biathlon star Dorothea Wierer is excited for a home Winter Olympics in Italy next year and thinks it will be a unique experience for her.
The three-time bronze medallist, speaking to mark one year until Milano Cortina 2026 gets underway, admitted she was a little nervous at the extra responsibility on her shoulders.
"It will be great to have it here in Italy again after Turin in 2006," she said.
"For me, it will be great because I really love the track, and it will be a really good Olympics. For the results, I’m not sure, but the atmosphere means it will be a different Olympics for me.
"Overall, it’s definitely mixed feelings, it will be intense preparation with a lot of training, a lot of sponsor stuff, a lot of interviews and a lot of expectation.
"Of course, there will be a lot of journalists who never watch biathlon normally and they’ll be expecting medals, so I’m a little afraid that I’ll be tired when I get to the Olympic. But I’m hoping that I’ll be able to handle it as well as possible.
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"The most exciting thing will be when it’s sunny and the stadium is full of fans who are cheering for us."
At one stage it had seemed like Wierer, who joked that she still has to make sure that she qualifies for the Games, might not participate at all.
Wierer struggled with illness in the 2023-24 Biathlon World Cup season and missed the final trimester of the campaign through exhaustion.
However, a few months later, she confirmed that she would be coming back, not just for the 2024-25 season, but also the season after to aim for the Olympics.
Wierer admitted that it was a hard decision, but she has been pleased with the call to return.
"Last season I was sick so many times so I had no power," she continued.
"I was training, then I was sick, then I was trying to compete, but my body wasn’t working as I wished. So when I decided at the World Championships to end the season, it was like 'OK, now I will take my time'.
"So for two months I didn’t do anything: no training, nothing. It was like 'OK, I don’t want to stop in this way'. That wouldn’t be a good memory, so finally I decided to continue, but it was really difficult because I’m getting older and there are a lot of younger athletes, I maybe don’t have as much power and I need more recovery time.
"But at this moment I’m happy, I’m feeling good and I want to stop at a good time, in a good way. I’ve been doing biathlon for so long, and I have so many good memories, so I want to stop when I still have those good memories.
"It’s not about the medals or the results, it’s about the feeling, it’s about when I stop being able to say I tried everything and I’m happy with it - then I can move on.
"I remember when I was a younger athlete in my early 20s and was watching the older athletes in their 30s and thinking 'what are they doing?' And now I’m 34!"
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Wierer’s performances have been strong this season. She has three top-five finishes in her last four races and sits 11th in the overall standings.
"Honestly, I was surprised about my ski performance," Weirer said. "Yes, there were some bad days but I was sick during Christmas and during some races I had some 'girl problems', you never know it, but it happens!
"The only problem was the shooting. Sometimes it was one miss too many, but otherwise the feeling was good and I’m glad that my body is working and can give 100% again.
"It feels really good because last year every race and every training was a horrible feeling. I’m not thinking so much about the results right now, just the feeling, and it’s a good feeling right now."
Wierer will retire after Milan Cortina next year and admits that she thinks she might end up being one of those fans who yells at the TV whilst watching - but for now, her focus is entirely on the upcoming World Championships in Lenzerheide, which start next week, and then the Olympics next year.
Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics on TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland - full coverage details will be confirmed in due course
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