Dorothea Wierer is a living legend of biathlon. The Italian was the first woman since Magdalena Forsberg to win back-to-back Total Score globes on the women’s World Cup, she rocked her home World Championships with two individual gold medals and inspired a whole generation with her charm as much as with her results. At the age of 35, the Italian has already decided her career will end after the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympics — the perfect farewell on the very snow where she first learned to ski as a child.

“Not many athletes have a chance to close their career in a perfect circle like this, exactly where I put on skis for the first time. It is both thrilling and scary, but my goal is to enjoy it to the fullest, regardless of the result”, said Wierer during an interview this summer.

Training, expectations, and a lighter approach

And it wasn’t a summer like any other for her — she adapted her training schedule to accommodate various commitments, choosing to skip all summer biathlon competitions until now (check how she managed her trainings on this article). This week, at the Loop One Festival, there is a growing anticipation to see where the Italian is at with her training and for many fans, the Munich event is a chance to see her racing for the last time.

“I feel like I still need a bit of preparation, but I cannot wait for the new season to start”, she admitted. “I know I usually need until I travel north in November to Norway to make that final switch — when I really enter racing mode”.

“Obviously there’s always a latent sense fear of what comes next, because I know that it’s the last time and then it will be over. But I think it’s normal when you step into the unknown. I feel extremely privileged that I have many options and numerous offers and that helps me stay calm”. She went on: “but in the end, an athlete never really knows how real life is afterwards. I think I will have to live it to know it”.

For someone who had always said that her career would not stay in biathlon after 30, Wierer ended up staying around for more than a decade, outlasting most of her historical rivals. This is something she would have never believed in just a few years ago.

“I always told myself that by 30 I’d be done — and yet, here I am. I think the reason is that my career has gone so much better than I would have ever dared to dream. I never saw myself as a strong biathlete, so I ended up winning way more than I thought it’d be possible”, she smiled.

So we asked her whether she had ever watched any of her victories again and she candidly admitted that she did not, or at least, not by her own will.

“When you share content on social media of the pursuit from Antholz 2020 (she won gold after an amazing duel against Marte Olsbu Roiseland at the final shooting) I can feel the emotions of that day again. It probably was the most emotional race of my life and when I see bits of it I can tell myself ‘Maybe I have actually been a strong biathlete after all!’, because from the inside I never felt like it”.

Looking ahead — and beyond biathlon

During Paris 2024 she also experienced the sport from a different angle, working as an insider for Eurosport Italia — bringing fans closer to the action, while learning about the world of journalism.

“I enjoyed it a lot”, she explained: “I did not expect to live such strong emotions, and I got to know some incredible people. But will I go into journalism right after biathlon? No, I feel like I have been travelling too much and too often. I think it is time for me to stay put and keep the luggage empty for a while”.

Maybe, even though one would not say so, she has started to feel the years passing and not just when she jokes about how old her body makes her feel on the wet and cold days of the winter season.

“Maybe,” she smiled, “but deep down I’m still young… because I can’t say I’m just as stupid as I used to be!” She laughed, contagiously.

“But maybe the secret was training with a young team makes me forget that I am already 35”.

With the Loop One Festival just around the corner, biathlon fans are eagerly waiting to see the legend back in action — perhaps for the last time on wheels — before she embarks on her final winter journey toward the home Olympics. One last summer race. One last winter ahead. The circle is almost complete for Dorothea Wierer.