Head coach Alexander Inderst is looking at the next World Championship race. © Pierre TEYSSOT

Italy's restart at the Biathlon World Cup

Turning all the clocks to zero is the target for the best four biathletes from Italy before the World Cup sprint this Friday. A South Tyrolean is missing from the azure quartet.

09. February 2024

From Nove Mesto na Morave

The World Cup start on Wednesday with 10th place in the mixed relay went completely wrong. But no one in Italy's national team wanted to think about that on Thursday. Dorothea Wierer, Lisa Vittozzi and the other Azzurre did their training laps on the first non-competitive day according to the motto: wipe your mouth and carry on. “There is no time to argue. “We have to pull the lever,” Alexander Inderst from Ridnaun Valley sums it up before the women’s sprint race (17.20:XNUMX p.m.).

Italy's head coach rates Wierer and Vittozzi's performance in the mixed relay as "good", but still sees a lot of room for improvement: "I'm sure there is more to come. If Lisa shoots twice without mistakes she can be at the front. Doro can also be expected to achieve a top placement if he is in good form on the day. It’s also about creating a good starting position for the pursuit.”

Passler has to watch

The greatest hopes lie with Vittozzi (start number 23), who is in third place in both the overall World Cup and the sprint classification. She will take on the fight with the top favorites Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold (Norway), Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (France) and Elvira Öberg (Sweden). However, Vittozzi's only victory in a World Cup sprint was 3 years ago. For Wierer (start number 5), who has been plagued by health problems this winter, the main thing is to get back into the swing of things and catch up with the world's best.

Dorothea Wierer is working on the fine-tuning. © Pierre TEYSSOT

Behind the two exceptional athletes, 3 young Azzurres fought for the 2 remaining places until the end. In the end, Rebecca Passler came up short. Michela Carrara was already the favorite in the three-way fight due to her improving form, while Samuela Comola's recent training performances spoke in favor of Samuela Comola. “She achieved good results and seemed very lively the last few days,” explains Inderst. Passler's World Cup debut has therefore been postponed. The 22-year-old from Antholz used Thursday's training to prepare for the individual 15-kilometer race next Tuesday. There it is – as of today – considered to be set.

Worried look up

Until then, Passler's gaze and that of all the other World Cup participants will continue to wander towards the sky. The weather forecasts are anything but promising. The drizzle that has been falling over the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands in the southeast of the Czech Republic for days is likely to cause adverse conditions and deep snow on today's race day. The following days are expected to remain changeable, including rain and wind. An improvement in the weather is only in sight for the second week of the World Cup. Then the temperatures should move back towards the zero degree limit. Not only the athletes, but the service people and the many thousands of fans who will also provide goosebumps in today's World Cup sprint would thank the weather gods.