When Dorothea Wierer, an Italian biathlete, headed to Beijing for the 2022 Olympic games, she knew the inconveniences of covid protocol would be a challenge. “This year’s game is stressful, completely different than any other,” she says.
For well over a decade, Wierer has thrived in the toughest snowy terrain, sprinting, skiing and shooting her way to medals at world championships and Olympic games in years past. But what happens when the weather is too cold, even for athletes who thrive in snowy weather?
If you’re anything like the world champion and bronze medalist at this year’s women’s 7.5km sprint event, the answer is simply to power through.
“It's not too easy,” she laughed. “There are a lot of [days of] low temperatures,[it was] windy, [and the] the snow is different.”
Wierer says there really was no way to prepare for such extreme conditions, a combination and cold weather and high winds that pushed the mercury below minus 20s.
“We’re not used to this temperature; we don’t have this temperature at home,” she reveals. “The first day was tough; we are not used to it.”
Aside from plenty of warm-ups, there were not much athletes could do to battle the cold. “It was very difficult; my legs felt frozen, feel like can’t really move because have to put on more clothes,” she recounts.
Yet, being bogged down by layers isn't sensible for a sport that combines stamina with agility. “We can’t put on so many clothes; we have to shoot and move. And the hands, we can’t put on huge gloves, we have to touch the rifle, and our fingers have to remain sensitive.”
As frustrating as it seems, Wierer understands there’s always some part of any competition left up to chance. “[you just have to] focus on yourself and the performance. If you’re lucky, you catch a break. You hope to come to the shooting range with low wind and run as fast as possible.” says the long-time ambassador of Omega watch.
However, she’s quick to point out that there’s plenty of hard work behind that ‘luck’ that puts her on the podium time after time. “I focus more on the shooting. I like it when I can shoot fast and clean; it’s not always easy and not always possible. It’s great when you can shoot really, really fast and recover a lot of time.”
It's a tough life chasing that biathlete dream between the competition, training, and being away from home. “I’ve spent many years in professional sports, and it’s not always easy, but it’s not always easy. I want to enjoy my days here.”
As to how she deals with stress and the unknowns of competitive life, the biathlon queen says she keeps it simple. “There’s nothing special; relax before the race, and sometimes I do a bit of yoga; there's nothing special in how I prepare.”
