My Favorite Holiday Moments: Emilien, Johannes, Lisa, Sebbe, Anamarija and Lena
Before the season closed in Oslo, virtually every athlete had planned their escape for the unofficial biathlon holiday month of April. A change of scenery was important as was spending quality time with family and friends whether on a far-flung beach or in a European tourist destination.
Dinner on the Beach
Johannes Dale-Skjevdal closed the winter with a season-best third place in the Oslo Sprint, following up with a very belated honeymoon far from Norway in Vietnam with his wife Kristina. Dale admitted his special moment in their Southeast Asia adventure was, “My best memory from our honeymoon was the day I got to surprise my wife with a dinner on the beach. As a foodie, this was a great evening for both of us! A super experience, and a great ending to the vacation.”
Family Time in Copenhagen
Lisa Hauser stayed a bit closer to home, but still enjoyed a welcome change of scenery, getting away to Denmark with her three cousins. The group whiled away their days on the harbor, taking a canal cruise, chatting over coffee along with evenings filled with laughter and appropriate libations, a perfect getaway from biathlon. “Copenhagen was great. Spending good times with my cousins is always lot of fun and lot of laughing!”
Beach time in the Maldives
Emilien Claude ventured far from Europe for an extended holiday in the Maldives with his girlfriend Anna Gandler, his biathlete brothers Fabien and Florent along with their girlfriends. The group spent a lot of time in the emerald green Indian Ocean, swimming, diving, relaxing on the beach and even fishing. His best memories were, “The dives with my girlfriend Anna et Fabien my brother. Always a good moment under water!”
Three Weeks in Mexico
Anamarija Lampic also went for sunshine and warm weather but on the opposite side of the world, in Cancun, Mexico. The fun-loving Lampic made sure she got the maximum amount of “Vitamin Sea,” spending three weeks on the Caribbean beach with her sister. “I can just say that the holiday was awesome because it was the first time that I went on such a trip with my younger sister and we bonded on another level!”
London and Harry Potter
Back closer to home, Sebastian Samuelsson, his partner Linnéa Karlsson and their one-year-old daughter Elsa played visited London and Paris. Although there were visits to museums and other tourist attractions Samuelsson, a huge Harry Potter fan had one hands-down favourite, “Our visit to the Harry Potter studio tour.”
Getting Away from Biathlon in New Zealand
Lena Haecki-Gross went as far away as possible, spending a couple of weeks exploring the natural wonders of New Zealand. She called, “The whole trip my favorite memory. We had a really new adventure. Being in such a beautiful country; I just loved the whole thing. Also getting away from biathlon and see something new for once was wonderful. I just cannot pick my favorite moment.”
April has turned to May; for these athletes and their teammates, it is back to work, no more holidays in sight but plenty of great memories to recall in the coming months. From now until the snow flies, it is nothing but shooting ranges, training camps, cycling, roller skiing: the familiar eat, sleep, train, repeat. The Olympic Winter Games are a mere 8 ½ months away!
Photos: IBU/Johannes Dale-Skjevdal, Lisa Theresa Hauser, Emilien Claude, Sebastian Samuelsson, Anamarija Lampic, Lena Haecki-Gross
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