Estere Volfa and her mother Ieva Cederštrēma-Volfa share more than just a love of biathlon. Both have managed to compete for their home country of Latvia at the Winter Olympics. This is a story about a special mother-daughter relationship and the Olympic dream.

Ieva Cederštrēma-Volfa made history at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. She was the first female biathlete to compete for Latvia at the Olympic Games. "It was a very special feeling to compete at the Olympics. I will never forget it," says the 56-year-old. Now her daughter is following in her footsteps.

Even though Volfa never saw her mother compete as a biathlete, she was the reason why she took up biathlon. "I think it's quite normal for children to take up the same sport their parents did. I've always enjoyed cross-country skiing, but when I shot for the first time, I was scared. That changed when I realised how much sport meant to me." Volfa competed in the Olympics at the age of 16, as a cross-country skier in Beijing in 2022. Four years later, she will compete in biathlon.

Culture shock and new training philosophies

Ieva Cederštrēma-Volfa told her daughter a lot about her Olympic moments. "When I competed for the second time in Nagano in 1998, I experienced a real culture shock. Japan was already a highly technological country at that time, and we had navigation systems in our cars. I was completely unfamiliar with that. We were able to retrieve our weapons from the stadium using a type of facial recognition system. It was all so exciting," says Cederštrēma-Volfa. At the time, she received a mobile phone as a gift from the Latvian Biathlon Federation for her participation in the Olympics.

The technical aspects are no longer new to Volfa. However, biathlon training today differs significantly from that of her mother. "Today, there is a completely different training philosophy behind it. Biathlon has become much faster, both in terms of skiing and shooting. In her day, my mother covered long distances much more frequently." In addition, she did not train in the gym and had much less time for recovery because she had to help her family on the farm and would plant vegetables after training, adds Cederštrēma-Volfa. Nevertheless, Volfa learned a lot from her mother. Although she is no longer her coach since she joined the Latvian national team, she still helps her, especially with mental challenges. "As an athlete, I'm rarely at home, but we talk on the phone a lot," says the 20-year-old.

Continuing the journey together

Volfa does not have a specific result in mind for Antholz. She wants to enjoy the races and gain experience. She is particularly looking forward to the relay race. "I always want to give my best. Participating in the Olympics is a great success for me. I am still a junior, but I have already competed in several World Cup races." Her mother will accompany her to Italy and cheer her on in the stadium. "I am very proud of her and happy that she is doing what makes her happy. The fact that we have both gone down this path is very special for our whole family. I have accompanied her from her first steps and am looking forward to everything that lies ahead in her career." And perhaps Volfa will manage to improve on her mother's best Olympic result, 25th place in the individual event in Nagano.

Photos: IBU I Koksarov, privat