After fulfilling her lifelong dream of becoming Italy’s first Olympic biathlon champion, Lisa Vittozzi has found new motivation to keep racing — one season at a time. Speaking to Biathlonworld before the new season, the former Total Score champion explains her decision to keep racing rather than step away after an incredible home Olympic Games at Milano Cortina 2026.

Vittozzi’s career has not reached its final chapter just yet. After writing history for herself and her country by becoming Italy’s first Olympic biathlon champion last February, she questioned whether she still had the motivation to continue. But a strong finish to the season — including her first-ever mass-start victory — followed by some time away from biathlon, helped her find the answer: she was not ready to leave just yet.

“There’s been a moment, after the victory in Antholz, or in general after the Olympics, when I asked myself: ‘what should I do now? Will I still have the motivation to go on?',” admitted the Italian during a recent conversation with Biathlonworld in August. “It was not a given, because it took a lot of energy to come back for the Olympics, to be at my best when I was very tired mentally, too, because I had many doubts about my future even before the season.”

But then, sooner than expected, the World Cup season resumed after the Olympic Games, and Vittozzi was immediately drawn back to competition.

“I told myself there was no reason to think about it in that moment, that I had to finish the season and only then think about it. For sure, closing it in the way I did (with two victories and two second places in the last five individual competitions) clearly helped,” she said with a satisfied smile.

But the pleasure of winning was not the only reason behind her decision.

“Since the back injury that stopped me two autumns ago, I realised that the best approach for me is to live day by day, because some days I was getting up in the morning feeling down, just to be feeling positive the next day.

"It is something about me that I learned over the years, I cannot give myself too far ahead goals, they end up being a burden for my mental health. So, from now on my approach will be season by season.”

“So, I will not tell you that I will go on until the next Olympics in 2030, nor that I will do two more seasons, simply because I don’t know it,” she explained. “But I know that now I want to have fun doing what I love the most and obviously do it at the best I can. For sure, I don’t like to finish second, so I will also try to do my best to be among the world’s bests.”

Vittozzi admitted that this day-to-day approach to her training and happiness is made easier by having ticked off a lifelong dream — but also one that had carried enormous weight for her.

“I must say that this summer feels immensely more relaxing than the previous one,” she said visibly relaxing her shoulders. “I feel much more free, much happier. I have reached the biggest goal of my life and since then it has been like I could let go a little. Now I can just enjoy what I do.”

Despite this approach, the Italian is still looking for the margins to keep improving and by re-joining the women’s A-team after a summer of solo training, she is finding new input from a young team and a new head coach.

“One of the difficult sides of my summer last year was that I was always training alone, so to be part of a team again feels definitely good,” she stated. “I feel like not everything is on my shoulders now and the girls made me immediately feel part of the team, which is a great thing.”

Few biathletes can start a new season having already been World Cup Total Score, World and Olympic champion. Vittozzi is one of only two active athletes, alongside France's Julia Simon, to have achieved all three.

She has nothing left to prove — but, as she puts it, she still doesn't like finishing second. So, with one of the biggest goals of her career finally behind her, the question now is what a freer, more relaxed Lisa Vittozzi can do next.