Rihards Lozbers's 2025-26 season was certainly an impressive one. At just 16 years old, he qualified for the Winter Olympics, achieved his best-ever World Cup finish with a 21st-place result, became the youngest male biathlete ever to compete in a World Cup mass start, and won four medals at the Junior World Championships. How is he handling it all?

Biathlonworld: Rihards, you made a big impression on the biathlon family last season. You competed in the Olympics and achieved your best World Cup result with a 21st-place finish. You’re the youngest male biathlete ever to compete in a World Cup mass start, and you’ve won medals at the Junior World Championships. How did the season feel for you?

Rihards Lozbers: Absolutely unbelievable. Before the season, my goal was to be in shape for the Junior World Championships at Arber and to win my first international medal there. I never expected to compete in the Olympics, the World Cup, and the IBU Junior Cup in Madona - or to achieve such great results. There were so many amazing moments that I still need to process it all.

BW: How did you spend the weeks after the season? Were you able to relax a bit?

RL: Quite the opposite, actually. I just finished tenth grade, and you could say I lived the weeks after the season ended at school. I had to catch up on a lot of material and exams that I’d missed during the winter months. It’s not easy to balance both worlds, but I’m very grateful to my teachers for supporting me so well. I still have two years left until I graduate from high school. Whenever I had time off, I’d meet up with my friends, and we’d just do “teenager stuff.”

BW: Besides all the highlights, were there any moments that didn't go so well?

RL: I think it's normal to have ups and downs in sports. I already noticed last season that, at my age, it's not easy to consistently perform at such a high level. One example of this was the individual in Antholz. I had eight shooting mistakes there.

BW: In addition to the Olympics, the World Cup, and the Junior World Championships, the IBU Junior Cup in Madona, in your home country of Latvia, was also a highlight. What was your experience like there?

RL: The atmosphere was amazing. Lots of family members and friends were at the stadium. For my dad, it was the first time he’d ever seen an international biathlon competition live. He told me afterward, “I never would have thought biathlon would be so much fun.” Now he wants to go watch races in person more often. That makes me proud, because cycling is really his true passion. He got me into sports. He put me on a bike when I was just four years old. Cycling was my passion until I switched to biathlon in 2022.

BW: As your successes grow, so does the buzz around you - fans, the media, and sponsors are taking notice. How do you handle that?

RL: It's part of the sport; I have to get used to it. But I'm not a different person just because I celebrate my athletic successes. On-camera interviews are a new experience for me, but I'm learning as I go.

BW: Do you feel mental pressure?

RL: I expect a lot from myself and am sometimes too hard on myself. To help me deal with this better, my coach put me in touch with a sports psychologist last summer. She’s helping me cope with the pressure.

BW: What are your goals for the new season?

RL: I want to shoot more consistently that I have to run fewer penalty laps. That’s what I’m focusing on now, with a new, personalised rifle. In the coming season, I want to win medals again at the Junior World Championships, qualify for the 2027 European Youth Olympic Festival, and make it onto the podium at the Junior Cup in Madona. I wasn’t able to do that last year.

Photos: IBU I Archive