Lukas Hofer is currently doomed to watch in the Biathlon World Cup. The Italian has serious injury concerns that will likely force him to make a difficult decision at the end of the season.
Lukas Hofer is haunted by bad luck with injuries. The 33-year-old biathlete has been struggling with tendinitis in his left shin since November. Due to the ongoing problems, the veteran recently had to pass Schalke at the biathlon event.
“Everything is a big question mark for me at the moment,” Hofer is quoted as saying by the “sportnews.bz” portal. The tendinitis leaves Italy’s biathlon star puzzled. “I don’t know what that came from. Mountain runners or footballers have it more often, but biathletes don’t,” says Hofer.
In this context, the two-time race winner in the Biathlon World Cup recently had to cope with a setback. “In mid-December I tried to train lightly, but that didn’t work,” said Hofer, adding: “It usually goes away after six weeks, but in my situation we haven’t found a solution yet.”
Biathlon career in danger?
At the moment, Hofer cannot put any weight on his foot. The biathlete seems to be haunted by bad luck with injuries. “There has always been something missing for a year and a half,” said Hofer.
“In the summer I had runner’s knees on both legs, now I’ve got the shin. All of these injuries are basically inflammation. So my body is reacting to something, we have to find out what exactly,” said the Italian.
At 33, Hofer is already at an advanced age as an athlete. Is his career still going at all?
“I have to see if I can solve the problem before the World Championships in Oberhof [8. bis 19. Februar] get a grip. And of course we have to keep thinking about what is still feasible in the future, what health permits. In the summer I will make a decision calmly,” said Hofer.