Dorothea Wierer extends her hand to the visibly touched Lisa Vittozzi. © Pierre Teyssot

“That’s what it takes!”: Wierer congratulates Vittozzi

Biathlon Italy takes a deep breath: Lisa Vittozzi won her first World Cup medal on Sunday. One of the first to congratulate was her teammate and competitor Dorothea Wierer.

12. February 2024

From Nove Mesto na Morave

First Lisa Vittozzi collapsed completely exhausted at the finish line in the World Cup arena, then she pulled herself up and waited for Dorothea Wierer crossed the finish line in 21st place. Both have been taking turns grabbing the crown for years and want to be Italy's biathlon queen. But there was no sign of rivalry on Sunday afternoon in Nove Mesto.

Wierer, even at the end of her strength, immediately stretched her arm towards Vittozzi after reaching the finish, congratulating her on the fantastic comeback and the silver medal. “That’s what it takes! Something like that is positive for the team, it gives everyone new motivation,” said the racer, the most successful World Cup starter with a total of twelve medals, in an interview a few minutes later SportNews. Vittozzi now holds nine World Cup medals.

“We also have to say thank you to the ski men.” Dorothea Wierer

Wierer wasn't just full of praise for her teammate from Friuli. She had a special thanks: “We had much better skis in the pursuit than in the previous races. That's why we have to say thank you to our ski men. They did a great job.”


You can hear what Wierer says about her own performance and her personal medal prospects in the full audio interview here:



>>> Here you can read what Lisa Vittozzi says about her medal win.