Dorothea Wierer, Tommaso Giacomel and the entire Italian team are preparing for their home Olympics at Milano-Cortina in 2026 with smiles, professionalism and the dream of making history.

A beautiful sunny day welcomed the Italian biathlon team in Forni Avoltri during a training camp that revealed the most authentic side of the squad: focus and dedication, of course, but also friendship, laughter, and late-night battles over the board game Risiko. In this calm yet energetic atmosphere, the Azzurri shared their thoughts on the season leading to the most anticipated moment: the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Tommaso Giacomel, Dorothea Wierer and Didier Bionaz, together with coaches Andrea Zattoni and Fabio Cianciana, offered valuable insight into how the team is experiencing the build-up to the five-ringed event.

Above all stands the calm confidence of Giacomel. At 25, he looks to the coming season with trust in the work he has done, perfectly representing how this team approaches the big event aware of its potential, built over years of hard work: “I feel good about it. I think it would be harder if I were an outsider. Instead, I know I’m among the favourites, so I feel calm, because if I do things well, the results will come. If I were an outsider, I’d need something extraordinary to reach a medal. To be honest, I’m also looking more at the overall World Cup than the Olympics.”

For coach Zattoni, another reason for their calm attitude lies on the fact that the path so far has been steady: “We haven’t had any problems, neither physical nor health issues. No injuries or illnesses that forced us to reduce training days. So overall, everything has been positive up to now, and we hope to continue this way.”

The project is clear: “Our goal is always to work hard and give our best. Until you’re right at the big event, the pressure is quite constant, quite like any other season. Having drawn up a training plan very similar to last year gives confidence to us, as coaches, but also to the athletes, because last season we saw that things worked well.”

His fellow coach Cianciana confirms: “I haven’t felt any tension. I think we’re quite ready. Last year we went through a very difficult December and first two weeks of January, and then we managed to come out of that dark time. I think that experience could help us manage the pressure that will come at the Olympics.”

In that sense, a major help comes from the group spirit which is also a strength: “I see professionalism, dedication to work, and also a great group atmosphere. They’re all friends, laughing, joking. In the evenings, they have huge Risiko matches with shouting, laughter and a lot of fun.”

But confidence does not come only from out-of-biathlon activities. The hard work is showing in the progresses of each and every of the team members: “I’m happy because in the functional tests you can see improvements. It confirms the whole process. Now it’s time to finalise.”

From the athletes’ side, Wierer is living this period with particular intensity, after announcing she will end her career after these home Olympics: “There are pros and cons in knowing that my clock is set to that goal. I can’t wait, because it’s a unique event, and not many athletes have the chance to compete in an Olympics at home, right where you grew up, where you first put skis on. It’s wonderful to be able to close my career like that, isn’t it?”

Her preparation has also been a little unusual, shaped by the many requests and commitments linked to being a home Olympics icon: “With the Games at home, everyone has something to ask of you, so you have to manage your schedule too. I chose to squeeze most commitments in spring, so in May I trained very little – about 30 hours, which some do in a week! Then I really started training in June, but things are going well. It’s not easy, because I feel this is a special year, and also very tiring from that point of view.”

For Giacomel, there is no doubt the veteran is doing everything to be ready for her final big stage in Antholz though: “She says herself that she’s counting the days. Honestly, I see her doing well for now, and I hope it continues like that. She’s still the same, always complaining – and that’s a good sign,” he commented with a smile.

Coming from a troubled winter, Bionaz, on the other hand, keeps a more detached approach: “Honestly, I’m not thinking much about it, even though it’s a question we get asked a lot. If you think about it, it’s something that happens once in a lifetime, and not everyone gets the chance to race an Olympics at home. But honestly, I’m not thinking about it now. My expectations are mainly to get back to doing what I know how to do. So, for the moment, I’m living it as a season like any other.”

This mix of calmness and awareness is well summed up by a conversation between Cianciana and Giacomel, as the coach recalls: “The other day Tommy told me: ‘We want to go to the Olympics to win, not just to take part.’ Right now, potentially, in our team there are two athletes who can win any race. But we all know how unpredictable a single race can be: in the sprint in Pyeongchang, Fourcade and JT Boe were the clear favourites, but they both missed three or four shots, and neither of them won. Like in every World Cup race, if you’re fast and you shoot well, you’re there. But of course, if you’re ranked fifth on paper and all four in front of you do the same, you may still end up fifth. But if even one of them misses a shot more than you, you’re ahead. That’s the beauty of our sport.”

A first test of this team’s progress in the lead up to the Olympics will come this weekend on the very stadium that will host the Games. In Antholz-Anterselva, the Italians will face a fierce international opposition during the Summer Biathlon National Championships. Wierer will be the only one to skip these competitions, a decision taken long ago to fit her different training schedule. However, the Italian veteran is already looking forward to the Loop One Festival in October, where she will be wearing a racing bib again.

Photos Gasparin/IBU