Dorothea Wierer: “There is a certain doubt”

This summer and fall she always trained with the men and for the first time without Andreas Zingerle. He was not only her long-time successful coach, he was also her sporty foster father. She could never imagine a life in biathlon without Zingerle, but now she has made friends with it.

“Logically, it’s a shame that Ando is gone. I grew up with him. But it's normal for someone to stop at some point. I'm a fan of Ando, but we've also worked well with the new trainers and we'll see how it goes in the winter. “It doesn’t all depend on the coach, it depends on many factors,” says Wierer, who doesn’t occasionally seek advice from her ex-coach. “I'll leave him alone because he should enjoy his retirement, away from biathlon. But he’s not completely gone anyway, because he’s often in Antholz with his children Linda and David.” “The successes in the summer mean nothing.” Dorothea Wierer Alexander Inderst, whom she already knows well, has now slipped into the Zingerle role. And Inderst saw a strong Dorothea Wierer at the Summer Biathlon World Championships. She won two titles there. But at most she writes this off as a nice side effect. “The successes in the summer biathlon mean nothing. Not all nations were there, and some are better on scooters, others are better on skis. Of course, a competition is always the best training. But everything can change again. Winter is winter, you have more pressure. There were three races in the summer, whether they were good or bad doesn’t matter in the winter,” she clarifies.

Wierer during dry training: The biathlon queen wants to attack again.

The most significant success of the year for Dorothea Wierer was her first individual Olympic medal in Beijing. But she doesn't think about that anymore either. “That’s only a topic for me when I’m asked. But otherwise there's not much point in looking back. “I’m still active, so I have to look forward,” she says. And there might be another Olympic Games waiting for them, in their home town of Antholz.

The 2026 Olympics are not categorically ruled out But she doesn’t want to look that far ahead: “It’s not appropriate to talk about 2026 now. Everything can change from one moment to the next. I don't know how the next season will go, whether I'll even be good enough for the podium or how my health and physical health will be. I've been among the world's best for a long time now, so there's a certain amount of doubt as to whether I can still maintain this level. “I have trained well and if the others are better, I can’t do anything,” she points out, pointing out that she is no longer the youngest. But she doesn't categorically rule out being there in 2026. “I pretend I’ll do biathlon for another 20 years.” Dorothea Wierer “As an athlete, it is certainly a dream to be part of the Olympics on your doorstep. But the clock is ticking, there's just no point in thinking about it now. I'm an athlete now, so it's not good to think about whether you're going to stop the day after tomorrow or in 6 months. I don't want to have thoughts like that because otherwise it would affect me too much. I act as if I would do biathlon for another 20 years, otherwise I risk losing focus.”

Dorothea Wierer was named Sportswoman of the Year for the 5th time this year.

A trophy that she has won for the 5th time this year and that means a lot to her is that of South Tyrolean Sportswoman of the Year. “We have many good athletes in various sports in South Tyrol. When you're out and about competing, you don't notice how excited the people at home are. And it's great when you get recognition in an election like this," she says happily, also because she didn't expect to win this election this time: "I didn't think I would win, because if you Doesn't always manage to get a podium finish in the World Cup, it's clear that Doro is no longer in the same shape as it used to be. People are always excited at the sports gala. It’s also great that you can meet other athletes there that you would never see otherwise.”

Windisch's resignation stunned Wierer Dominik Windisch's resignation surprised her even more than her election as Female Athlete of the Year. “When he said at the Olympics that he would probably quit, I was flabbergasted. We grew up together. He was almost like a brother to me because we spent more time together than with our families. I'm glad he's found a new job. He is overjoyed and fully motivated. There are many athletes who have a crisis when they stop.”

When she's not at the biathlon, Dorothea Wierer enjoys her new home. “In my new house I feel most comfortable on the couch. “But I’m also finding more and more enjoyment in cooking, which is why I really enjoy being in the kitchen,” she reveals.

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Dorothea Wierer: “There is a certain doubt”

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