The Czech para biathlon team is developing at an impressive pace. After making its World Cup debut in January 2025 from the back of the field, it now heads toward the Milano–Cortina Paralympic Games with two strong medal prospects. One of them is Carina Edlingerova, who obtained Czech citizenship last summer and has quickly become a central figure in the team’s ambitions.

The 27-year-old has previously represented Austria with remarkable success. She first made her mark in para cross-country skiing, claiming six world titles and winning gold at the 2022 Paralympic Games in Beijing. In search of new challenges, she has gradually shifted her focus toward para biathlon over the past four years. The transition has brought immediate results: Edlingerova finished third three times at the 2025 World Championships in Pokljuka and earned her first biathlon victory at the Paralympic Trials in Val di Fiemme. Since this season, her achievements will be credited to the Czech national team.

“People often ask me who I am now, and I always say: I’m a global citizen. I received my Czech passport in four months. Normally, the process takes five years. I’ve always been Austrian, but today, I’m very proud to represent the Czech Republic. I even got a new name without getting married. That was actually kind of fun”, says Edlingerova, formerly known as Edlinger.

She never planned to become a para biathlete. In fact, when she first entered a sports high school, biathlon felt almost absurd. She applied as a cross-country skier, but the only place available was in biathlon. Shooting at a target she couldn’t even see? It sounded impossible. Still, she took the spot, telling herself she would “just pretend” she could hit the target. At that time, Edlingerova did everything she could to hide her visual impairment, not out of shame, but out of realism. She knew that once people focused on her disability, her chances of being selected would be much lower. Reality quickly caught up, and before the school year even started, she was reassigned to cross-country skiing.

Years later, after transitioning into para cross-country skiing, success followed quickly. In that discipline, Edlingerova had achieved almost everything there was to achieve. Biathlon, however, remained untouched. Skiing speed alone was no longer enough. Hitting the target under race stress, with an elevated heart rate and unpredictable conditions, was a challenge she hadn’t fully anticipated.

That breakthrough came in Val di Fiemme, in a Sprint Pursuit format she once disliked so much that she wished it could be skipped. Instead, it turned into a confidence boost at precisely the right moment - one year before the Paralympic Games. “I proved to myself that I can shoot, and that my skiing is there,” she says. “That matters mentally.”

What sets Edlingerova apart is the way she learned the sport. She never worked with a shooting coach. Instead, she taught herself by watching competitions on television, copying positions, experimenting until she found what worked. Her technique looks different from any other para biathlete’s, but she sees no reason to change it now. “You don’t change a winning system,” she says. For her, shooting is about rhythm, sound, repetition, and trust built through daily practice.

Over the past seasons, she has changed guides multiple times, not by choice, but by necessity. Finding a guide fast enough in Austria was difficult, especially when many strong skiers want to race themselves. After switching teams, she now works with Alex Patava, who serves as both her guide and coach within the Czech setup.

Away from competition, Edlingerova’s life is just as full. Her constant companion is her guide dog, who travels with her to almost every event. “He doesn’t care if I win or lose,” she says. “He loves me anyway.” She also loves traveling, experiencing places through sounds, smells, textures, and imagination. For her, vision is not the most important sense. During therapy, she discovered tailoring and now sews her own dresses for galas. Unable to see the stitches, she relies on mental calculations and structure, perhaps echoing childhood dreams of becoming a pilot or an architect. Sewing became her way of creating, designing, and building something tangible.

Edlingerova studied sports journalism and hopes to return to the profession one day. “My dream is to highlight the incredible stories of para athletes and promote inclusivity in sports,” she says. “The IBU is doing a great job in this area, and maybe one day there will be more opportunities to enhance para biathlon coverage. If that happens, I’d love to be involved.”

Despite recent success, Edlingerova remains realistic about what lies ahead. She knows that achievements in para biathlon cannot be measured by a single victory. Unlike cross-country skiing - where she has already reached the top - biathlon is unpredictable by nature. One day, everything aligns perfectly; the next, nothing works. Her long-term aim is not just to win, but to build the same level of consistency she once established on the cross-country tracks.

Her first success with the new team came at the start of the 2025/26 season in Canmore, where she secured the first World Cup podium in Czech para biathlon history. That milestone was reached in the same year the Czech team made its World Cup debut, led by 50-year-old Miroslav Motejzik. It has already become clear, however, that Edlingerova will not be the first Czech World Cup winner. That distinction belongs to the sensational 17-year-old Simona Bubencikova, who claimed victory in the 12.5km Individual at her World Cup debut in January in Notschrei, Germany. In Jakuszyce, during the final World Cup event of the season, both stood on the podium on the same day. Simona Bubenickova won the Sprint with Carina Edlingerova finishing third, while in the Sprint Pursuit the roles were reversed - Edlingerova claimed victory, and Bubenickova placed second. Czech para biathlon is clearly gaining momentum, a trend that will be on display at the Paralympics in Val di Fiemme in the next couple of days. The first para biathlon competition is planned for the 7th of March.

“The next generation of athletes is coming, and the competition gets more challenging every year. But that’s a good thing. When I started, people thought para sports were just about overcoming obstacles and winning medals easily. That’s not the case anymore. The level is rising, and we’re proving that we’re not far behind non-disabled athletes. That’s the future of para sports, and I’m excited to be part of it”, ends Edlingerova.

Photos: IBU | Wlaźlak