Vittozzi shock! No races this season

This news hits many winter sports fans hard: Lisa Vittozzi is ending her season without competing in a single race. The world's best biathlete of last winter has now set herself a new goal.

08 January 2025

From: fop

Lisa Vittozzi will not compete in the 2024/25 Biathlon World Cup. That much has been certain since Wednesday. The Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI) announced in a press release this morning that the reigning overall World Cup winner is ending her season early.

How did this surprising conclusion come about? In the final preparation phase for the new season, Lisa Vittozzi repeatedly complained of back pain, and first stopped training and then also stopped competing. The cancellation of the first races of the season in Scandinavia was followed by the cancellation of all competitions until the new year. Vittozzi should have been back on the attack at the latest at the home World Cup in Antholz and put the finishing touches there for the World Championships in Lenzerheide in February. But that didn't happen.

"I will focus fully on the Olympics" Lisa Vittozzi

"I had started the season with a lot of enthusiasm," Vittozzi recalls in a statement, while at the same time explaining the drastic measure as follows: "The injury set me back at a crucial stage. I then tried to get back into full training. But my body could not withstand even a reduced workload." As a result, in consultation with the association's doctors, she decided to end the season early and, as Vittozzi says, "to focus entirely on the big goal of the 2026 Olympics."

Physical and mental recovery

According to the Italian Winter Sports Federation, Vittozzi's goal now is to recover both physically and mentally over the next few months so that he can tackle the Olympic season in the best possible shape.

Lisa Vittozzi was the main actress at the 2024 World Cup. © Pierre TEYSSOT

With Vittozzi, the Biathlon World Cup will lose one of its most dazzling and successful personalities in the coming weeks and months. The 29-year-old from Sappada/Plodn won the overall World Cup for the first time last winter and also won two small crystal globes. At the World Championships in Nove Mesto, she was crowned individual world champion and the winner of three further silver medals.