With Lisa Vittozzi back in the team and Egil Gjelland taking charge, Italy’s women are embracing a new set-up — and a new balance between hard work and having fun.

There was something astonishingly quiet about the biathlon stadium in Antholz-Anterselva on that Tuesday morning earlier this August, a silence biathlon fans are not used to from the venue that, just six months earlier, crowned the Olympic champions and waved goodbye to Dorothea Wierer. Only four women and two coaches walked to the range beneath the Olympic rings, and soon their voices, laughter and shots filled the space with a new energy. On lane one, Vittozzi zeroed her rifle alongside three of Italian biathlon's young hopes, Hannah Auchentaller, Rebecca Passler and Martina Trabucchi, while Egil Gjelland, the new head coach of the women's team, and Edoardo Mezzaro looked on. The session was a hard one: uphill sprinting combined with shooting. It was rather warm considering the altitude and the early hour, but the good vibes were contagious. During one of the short breaks, Vittozzi made sure everyone had the right amount of sugar, offering candies to all, coaches and Biathlonworld included. Such a relaxed atmosphere, even during one of the toughest sessions of their camp, was reflected in the words we collected throughout the day.

A new beginning

“The summer has gone very well so far,” commented Auchentaller after they had returned to the ‘maso’ (mountain hut) where the team always stays in Antholz. The chef had prepared a lovely lunch, and they laid the table outside. “We found ourselves in a new situation and, initially, we didn't know who would arrive as our shooting and physical coaches. But we were very lucky: we immediately clicked! We're working really well together and we're working hard. So far, everything is going well and hopefully it will continue like this.”

Mezzaro, who followed Vittozzi on her solo comeback last summer, echoed his athlete as he watched her teaming up with Passler in a table football match.

“Having a rather small team makes it easier to manage in some ways. The girls seem to have come together in a very positive way and they're working well together, so I'd say that so far everything is going really well.”

Lisa's return to the team

After writing history for her country, becoming the first ever Italian biathlete to win a gold medal at the Olympics, Lisa Vittozzi was not sure whether she would still be competing past the home Games. Yet, the 31-year-old looked as sharp as ever training on the same range where she fulfilled her life-long dream.

“I'm still here because I think I can still give something to biathlon and to myself,” she explained. “So the motivation is still there. I still like winning — actually, I especially like winning! So, I'll try to enjoy it season by season. I just want to have fun doing what I know how to do and, obviously, I don't like finishing second, so I'll keep trying.”

By joining the team again, Vittozzi is bringing more than her experience and Auchentaller explained how the whole team was very happy to see her continuing.

“We were all hoping that Lisa would come back to the team because she is a point of reference for us and she can teach us so much. So, we're really happy about it, and I think she is too. We've created a nice group and we have fun together, which is fundamental.”

For Vittozzi, it was a big change going from a sort of solo training to returning to a team, but the new set-up is already proving a source of motivation for her.

“Last year I had a different programme and trained on my own, so everything was different. There were certainly positive aspects, but also some negative ones. One of them was always being alone, so coming back to the group has been positive for me. I feel like I don't have everything on my shoulders anymore. At the same time, I don't feel different from them — I feel part of the group, and that's really nice.”

A different approach coming from Norway

One of the big changes in the team comes by the name of Egil Gjelland. The Norwegian is an Olympic champion from Salt Lake City 2002 and has coached many teams over the years.

“Beyond the great experience he already has from working with different teams throughout his career, Egil has brought a different approach from what we've been used to in Italy in recent years”, explained Mezzaro. “A slightly different way of looking at things, which I think could be exactly what we were looking for to make that extra step during the winter.”

These changes are what drive the motivation for someone who has been in the sport for many years, like Vittozzi.

“I like new challenges, especially because I immediately got along well with Egil. I think he's a very well-prepared person and I like him because his approach is different from what we're used to. I'm very curious to see how it will go, although I'm already seeing a lot of improvements in training, so I'm very positive.”

For Auchentaller, it also about the chemistry in the team, with coaches and athletes both finding the balance between hard work and fun times.

“We've been very lucky because it's always a new situation when the coaches change. You don't know how long it will take to get used to each other. But we clicked straight away. The team works, the collaboration works. There's a lot of fun, but when it's time to work, we work without excuses. We all really want to do well, improve and show what we're made of.”

Work hard, then switch off

Like we had a chance to see during the day, after the long hours of intense training in the morning and a lighter but still valuable session in the afternoon – free choice for the athletes between running, classic skiing and biking – the team gathered for a barbecue in the evening, more table football and plenty of laughter.

“When it's time to work, we work, and there are no excuses,” explained Auchentaller. “When we're done training, that's also the time to switch off a little, have fun, spend time together, laugh, joke around and do ‘some silly things’, as one should. That's how you recharge your batteries for the training ahead.”

This is also something that coaches value a lot and Mezzaro looks at it with a smile.

“Outside training, it's mainly about recovery. When an athlete isn't training, they have to recover. But we also have some room for different activities. Sometimes, for example, we do a recovery session that ends with everyone going out for an ice cream, or in the evening the girls often play board games. That's very positive for the group.”

The home Olympics may have closed one chapter for Italian biathlon, but there was little sense of an ending in Antholz. Instead, beneath the Olympic rings, a new generation is learning, Lisa Vittozzi is enjoying being back among her teammates, and a new coaching team is trying to build something of its own. There is plenty of work ahead, but if this day was anything to go by, there is also plenty of fun along the way.