Will she stop or not? Dorothea Wierer is speaking now

Dorothea Wierer was in the car when s+ reached her by phone. “I'm currently driving almost all day. After the season there are photo shoots, appointments, sponsors, interviews and so on. I haven’t been able to enjoy a day off yet,” explains the 32-year-old. Nevertheless, she takes time for a detailed conversation.

Dorothea Wierer, when will you start your well-deserved vacation?

“I'll be on vacation from April 25th. But I need that too, I have to really switch off. I’m going to fly to Oman, it’s only six hours away and I’m sure it’ll be warm there.”

The vacation question is because you have often emphasized that you only want to make a decision about your sporting future afterwards. Is there still a trend?

“I'm just stuffy and tired at the moment and haven't had a single day off since the end of the season. I can't switch off and think about my future. But I can definitely still do something. If I continued, I don't think I would finish 30th in the overall World Cup. I'm used to struggling, so I'll have to see if I can find the motivation I need again - which I hope I will. If not, in a sport like biathlon it’s better not to.”

Remained on the World Cup podium three times this year: Dorothea Wierer. © Lehtikuva / VESA MOILANEN

What does it depend on whether Dorothea Wierer continues or not?

“When I come back from vacation at the beginning of May and realize that I feel like running, cycling and training again and am looking forward to seeing my teammates, I will continue. And of course the coach is also important. Andreas Zingerle, who made me the biathlete I am today, is no longer there. If someone comes along that I'm not 100 percent convinced of, it will be difficult. But I'm not stressing about the decision. I've heard that procrastination is a marketing strategy, but that's not the case. I really don’t know yet.”

Let's look back at last season. What is your conclusion?

“I think overall it was okay. I'm happy that I achieved my goal at the Olympics and was able to win the bronze medal. Celebrating a victory at home in Antholz was of course also special. And I'm still in the top 10 in the world. I would give myself a '7' for my season.”

In Beijing, Wierer fulfilled his dream of an Olympic medal. © Pentaphoto

In the very last race of the season, the mass start ball slipped away from you. How much does that hurt?

“This is not a tragedy. Of course it would have been nice to get a ball, but the level is just extremely high. At the end of the season I was completely empty and just felt bad. There were days when I was sure I was going to get sick. If you have that feeling, you can’t expect top performance.”

“Ando is the coach who made me the biathlete I am now.” Dorothea Wierer about Andreas Zingerle

The last World Cup weekend was said to have become emotional after the farewells of Dominik Windisch and Andreas Zingerle...

“It was quite sad. I've been involved in biathlon with Domi since he was little, he's almost like a brother to me. We often like each other, we often argue, it's like a family. When everything is finished, you realize that maybe you don't have as much to do with each other as before. And Ando is the coach who raised me and made me the biathlete I am now. I'm not really the type of person who shows emotions, but then there are moments like this when you can't hold on to everything."

Last question: When will the new home in Cavalese be ready?

“I hope we can move in at the end of July. But building a house like this shouldn't be underestimated, there's so much to do. Stefano (Wierer's husband, editor's note) does 90 percent for us anyway, but the remaining 10 percent is also an effort. I’ll be happy when we have this behind us.”

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Will she stop or not? Dorothea Wierer is speaking now

It is the question that has been puzzling the biathlon world for weeks. Will superstar Dorothea Wierer continue or not? s+ asked the 32-year-old racer directly and spoke to her about her plans, the past season and sad moments at the last race.

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