About Wierer's golden touch and shocking insights

Dorothea Wierer won't have time to go shopping in the next few days. And so it's a good thing that the International Biathlon Union (IBU) is taking care of Wierer's appearance. The respective defending champions at the World Championships, which open with the mixed relay, receive a gold jersey. This should make them easier to recognize, especially on the television screens, because this time, as has been the case throughout the season, spectators are not allowed in the stadium.

In this way, Wierer will stand out from her colleagues twice. Of course, twice the memories come back to the title fights a year ago in the South Tyrol Arena, when she thrilled her fans to storms of enthusiasm. This time she is fighting for a repeat of these unforgettable performances on the Pokljuka in Slovenia. On the Pokljuka, mind you, because the Pokljuka is a plateau above Bled in the Triglav Nature Park in the Julian Alps, named after the highest mountain in Slovenia (2864m), the Triglav. The competition venue is located at 1300 meters, the routes of which have been modified again. It should be even more selective, after all it's about the big titles in this strange season.

Dorothea Wierer is on the rise. © AFP / MARCO BERTORELLO

The new world champions are being sought. Incidentally, every year in biathlon, with the exception of one Olympic season. That's why the International Biathlon Union (IBU) is hoping for even more viewers on the TV sets and that's also why they created the golden jersey for a better overview. Well, this is not a revolutionary innovation, but rather a small adjustment screw that has been changed. Shocking research results An independent investigative commission has already turned the big wheel and published a report shortly before the World Cup that shocked many active biathletes. And not just that. What had always been an issue in secret was revealed. That there had been decades of doping cover-ups and corruption under the former IBU President Anders Besseberg from Norway and the Secretary General Nicole Resch. The duo, who are no longer in office, are accused of covering up Russian doping practices for years.

Anders Besseberg is in the crossfire of criticism. © APA / EXPA/JFK

Of course, the many officials, vice presidents and members of the Executive Board did not intervene with the necessary intensity in the machinations of the management team at the time in order to put a stop to this, which is of course not an isolated case, but rather runs like a common thread through almost all large associations ( example athletics). However, it does not excuse the failures. Sign of renewal And yet this is not a big shadow that is hanging over these title fights. Rather, it is a sign of renewal, a ray of light even in dull days. The new leadership under Swedish President Ole Dahlin is leaving no stone unturned to regain lost trust through greater transparency and independent committees that also exercise a control function. The search for new lightness in difficult times is worthy of support, which is why we can look forward to a World Cup that will offer us great sport. Memories of 2001 20 years ago, world championships took place in this truly special place. Italy even won a silver medal in the sprint thanks to Rene Cattarinussi. “Doro” was eleven years old at the time, Hofer twelve. Now he is the beacon of hope among men. In almost all competitions this season he impressed with brilliant running times. Only the shooting range prevented the Montaler from making a podium finish. He came fourth three times. In Slovenia the balance should and can be better.

And then of course there is the “Golden Girl” in focus. Wierer's recent trend has been towards top rankings. Hofer and Wierer are also back in action in the mixed relay together with Lisa Vittozi and Didier Bionaz (surprisingly replacing Dominik Windisch). And it is precisely this form of competition that has been a source of medals for Italy at the Olympic Games and World Championships in recent years.

However, the competition, especially from the Scandinavian countries, is extremely strong for both women and men and the international field is very even. And the hosts? You can only keep your fingers crossed for Jakov Fak. They don't have more than him and even Fak needs a lot of luck to convert his home advantage into a medal. However, he has often proven that he can be a man for major events (twice world champion and two medals in three Olympic Games so far). Fascination of biathlon And so in this case the hosts are guided by the principle of hope and the fact that the fascination of the sport of biathlon largely depends on its unpredictability. Just one missed shot and even an outstanding performance on the cross-country ski trail might not be enough to receive a gold jersey for the next World Cup, with the next title fights not scheduled until 2023 in Oberhof. And who knows how many of the winners will still be active in the next twelve days. This also applies to Dorothea Wierer, because before Oberhof there is still the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. Without gold jerseys, but with the prospect of an Olympic gold medal.

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About Wierer's golden touch and shocking insights

The Biathlon World Championships in Pokljuka begin on Wednesday with the mixed relay competition. Our columnist Sigi Heinrich previously took a look behind the scenes.

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