Maybritt Vigl: By chance onto the Olympic stage

The decisive impetus came from her family. Her father, Elmar Vigl, worked at the Ritten Arena in Klobenstein at the time and knew the speed skating coach there, Nicola Mayr, very well. Mayr later became Maybritt's coach as well. At her father's suggestion, ten-year-old Maybritt tried the sport for the first time. From the very beginning, she was particularly fascinated by the challenge. "I liked that it was so strenuous," she recalls. Today, she is especially enthusiastic about the speed on the sprint tracks. She reaches speeds of up to 53 kilometers per hour in the curves.

Her training routine was highly structured from an early age. In summer, dry-land training dominated: road cycling, strength training, and many specific exercises to simulate movements on the ice. In winter, she was usually on the ice four times a week, in addition to competitions on weekends. Her place of residence was an advantage – the training facilities were practically on her doorstep.

At the sports school in Sterzing After secondary school, Vigl opted for the sports school in Sterzing and lived in the boarding school there. While her actual training time on the ice decreased during this time, her overall training volume remained high. She also trained in other sports – initially biathlon, and later track and field. This versatility helped her build a strong athletic foundation. In retrospect, she considers this phase very important because it prevented her from focusing exclusively on speed skating too early.

During the winter, school desks remained empty for two months. Vigl also received strong support at school. This was particularly important during the winter seasons, when her school desk was sometimes empty for up to two months due to training camps and competitions. The sports school enabled her to catch up on course material and exams online.

Her path to competitive sports developed step by step. She received her first call-ups to national training camps. International competitions and initial successes solidified her career. A clear childhood dream of becoming a professional athlete wasn't present from the beginning. Rather, it evolved over time alongside her athletic achievements, international experience, and growing support within the competitive sports community. As a member of the Carabinieri's sports unit, the Ritten native can now pursue speed skating as her main profession – a significant step in a niche sport where financial security is often a challenge. Maybritt Vigl with her father Elmar (right) and her brother Laurin.

In 2021, Vigl was called up to the Italian junior team for the first time. That same season, she competed in international junior World Cups and junior world championships. Shortly afterward, she was called up to training camps with the senior national team. Today, she is a regular member of the Italian national team. With this change, her training became significantly more structured. Currently, she trains an average of around 25 hours per week in the summer and slightly less in the winter.

Her personal breakthrough moment wasn't a Junior World Cup, but her second Junior World Championships in Inzell, where she finished ninth in the all-around competition. Another highlight was her second-place finish in the mass start at a Junior World Cup in Japan. Nevertheless, setbacks were inevitable: In her first season after her junior years, she was sidelined by mononucleosis. During this period, Vigl realized how closely training quality and competition results are linked. This experience led her to further intensify her training discipline.

The fastest Azzurri over 1.000 meters Maybritt Vigl is considered South Tyrol's great hope in speed skating. She already made a name for herself internationally in the junior and U23 categories: with a medal in the Junior World Cup, twelve medals in the U23 World Cup, and a top-10 finish at the European Championships earlier this year, she has repeatedly demonstrated her talent in recent years. This season marks the South Tyrolean's first regular World Cup season, and her performance curve has shown a clear upward trend. She has now specialized in the 1.000-meter sprint and is currently the best Italian skater in this event.

Furthermore, she is also making regional sports history: Since Yvonne Daldossi, who competed in the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, Vigl is the first South Tyrolean long track speed skater to compete in the Olympic Games. At the same time, she is the first woman from Ritten to compete in Olympic speed skating, after Nicola Mayr (Salt Lake City 2002). Maybritt Vigl enjoys traveling by bicycle.

This season, she competed in events in the USA, Canada, Milan, the Netherlands, and Norway, among other places. The World Cup in Heerenveen remains a particularly memorable experience. She was especially impressed by the atmosphere and the support from the crowd. Inzell also holds emotional significance for her – it's where her daily training routine is linked to her first major successes.

The Olympics were a constant topic of conversation, but never the dominant one. After a difficult preseason, she consciously focused on World Cups rather than the pressure of qualifying. It wasn't until the second World Cup in Calgary that she realized she had a realistic chance of qualifying in the 1.000 meters. The long-awaited official confirmation on January 20th brought her primarily relief. At the Olympic Games, she will compete in the 1.000 meters and is a reserve for the 500 meters. Her goal is to gain as much experience as possible – both athletic and personal. "Just being there is already a huge success," she says.

Outside of sports, she finds balance in everyday life: this includes walks with her grandmother's dog, time with family and friends, drawing, sewing, or sports without the pressure to perform. She is also studying sports and nutritional science at an online university.

After the Olympics, Vigl still has national and international competitions ahead of her. Afterwards, she plans a short break to recover before preparing for the upcoming season. She has clear goals for her future career: she wants to continue improving athletically and consistently pursue her path in international speed skating.

Vigl emphasizes one point in particular: "Success in competitive sports is never an individual achievement. It's impossible to do it alone anyway – it's always better together." Family, friends, and supporters are indispensable to her. The continued support of her former home club, Ritten Sport, and coach Nicola Mayr remains especially important to her.

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Maybritt Vigl: By chance onto the Olympic stage

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