Dorothea Wierer is getting ready for her last Biathlon World Championships. © Pierre Teyssot

Doro’s mission: On to the last World Cup!

The biathletes will be determining their world champions in Lenzerheide starting Wednesday. It is a special World Championship, and not just for Dorothea Wierer. Here we provide everything you need to know about the championships in Switzerland.

11. February 2025

Where exactly will the World Cup take place?

The ski hunters are hunting for medals in the Lenzerheide holiday region, more precisely in the small town of Lantsch in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. In 2017, the Roland Arena there, which was extensively renovated in 2023, hosted a World Cup for the first and so far only time. The World Cup venue can be reached from Bolzano in just over four hours by car.

How many titles will be awarded?

From February 12th to 23rd, the world champions in a total of twelve disciplines will be determined in Lenzerheide. It starts on Wednesday with the mixed relay, and ends with the mass starts. In between there are the sprints, the pursuit, the individual, the single mixed and the relays.

Who will start for Italy?

Italy is sending ten athletes to Lenzerheide to compete for World Championship medals. Among them are three South Tyroleans: Lukas Hofer, Hannah Auchentaller and Dorothea Wierer. Also taking part are Tommaso Giacomel, Daniele Cappellari, Didier Bionaz, Elia Zeni, Michela Carrara, Martina Trabucchi and Samuela Comola.

Biathlon director Klaus Höllrigl has nominated ten athletes for Lenzerheide. © TEYSSOT / Pierre Teyssot

Who is allowed to compete in the mixed relay?

The line-up for the opening competition has already been announced: As the Italian winter sports association FISI announced on Monday, Tommaso Giacomel, Lukas Hofer, Hannah Auchentaller and Dorothea Wierer fight for the first medal. The race starts on Wednesday at 14.30:XNUMX p.m.

What does Dorothea Wierer do?

The 34-year-old will end her career at the end of the 2025/26 Olympic season, and the title fights in Lenzerheide will be her last World Championships. "She is extremely motivated and recently delivered really strong results at the training camp in Antholz," reveals Italy's biathlon boss Klaus Höllrigl. Wierer has been waiting for a podium finish for around two years, but her form has been clearly on the rise for weeks. With several top-ten results, she has maneuvered herself back into the extended circle of medal contenders.

Who are the favorites?

Among them is Tommaso Giacomel from Trentino, who wants to prove that his first victory a few weeks ago in Ruhpolding was no one-hit wonder. However, the hottest contenders for gold are others: Norway will set the tone in the men's race with Johannes Thingnes Bø and World Cup leader Sturla Holm Lægreid. But the French have also repeatedly demonstrated their ability recently. In the women's race, the focus is on the ongoing duel between World Cup leader Franziska Preuß from Germany and Lou Jeanmonnot, who has been in such good form recently.

Johannes Thingnes Bø wants a crowning end to his career. © Teyssot / Pierre TEYSSOT

What makes Lenzerheide so special?

"It is one of the most difficult courses in the world," says Höllrigl. By this he means primarily the long descent to the shooting range, which is unique in biathlon. The athletes' pulse drops further before shooting than elsewhere, which increases the pressure of the heartbeat and makes aiming more difficult. In addition, the extremely demanding course around the Roland Arena is at 1.400 meters above sea level. "Basically, however, these are factors that could play into our hands. At least we hope so," concludes Italy's biathlon boss.

The World Cup program: