The suffering of Lukas Hofer: “Everything is a big question mark”

Lukas Hofer explains that he will stay at home on New Year's Eve. Eat well, maybe celebrate a bit with your relatives. “And toast at midnight that this damn year 2022 is finally over.” You can clearly hear the frustration in the 33-year-old’s voice with this sentence. The star biathlete from the Pustertal is currently going through what is probably the most difficult and uncertain phase of his career. “Everything is a big question mark for me at the moment,” says the winner of two World Cup races.

Specifically, Hofer's problem is tendonitis in the shinbone. “I don’t know where that came from. “Mountain runners and footballers have this more often, but biathletes don’t,” says the Montaler, whose foot was even “cast” with a special splint for a few days to completely prevent movement. “In mid-December I tried to train lightly, but that didn’t work,” says Hofer. Currently he can only do exercises that don't put any strain on his foot. A biathlon World Cup race is out of the question. “Normally something like this goes away after six weeks, but in my situation we haven’t found a solution yet.”

Faster in training than the winner on TV When this injury became noticeable and Hofer missed the first races, he was very frustrated. “I trained well and the first race was won by a Swede (Martin Ponsiluoma, editor's note). A short time before, I was just as fast or faster than him in training,” said Hofer, who prepared for the season with the Swedish national team in the summer. “It really hurt not being able to be there. “It’s now the case that I have to take it as it comes,” says Hofer. “For a year and a half, something has always been missing. You are stuff.” Lukas hofer Luki Hofer also sounds a little perplexed when he says these sentences. “For a year and a half, something has always been missing. “You are stuff,” he says. Specifically, he means his injury record, which has increased significantly in recent months. At the end of March, he underwent surgery on his left shoulder, which had bothered him throughout last season. A few weeks later, an operation on the right shoulder followed. “In the summer I had runner’s knee on both legs, and now I’ve got my shin. All of these injuries are basically inflammation. So my body is reacting to something, what exactly, we have to find out.”

Wants to return to the biathlon stage: Lukas Hofer.

The question inevitably arises: Is even the continuation of Hofer's career in danger? “I have to see whether I can get the problem under control before the World Championships in Oberhof. And of course you have to continue to think about what is still possible in the future and what your health allows. “I will make a decision in peace in the summer,” explains the biathlete. First of all, Lukas Hofer wants to toast at midnight today. Not just to say goodbye to this damned year 2022. But also to welcome a hopefully better 2023.

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The suffering of Lukas Hofer: “Everything is a big question mark”

Lukas Hofer is the best biathlete that South Tyrol and Italy currently have to offer. But the Montaler hasn't competed in a single race this season. Now it is clear: “Luki” is fighting for nothing less than his career.

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