Lisa Vittozzi actually wanted to win the overall biathlon World Cup for the second time in a row last winter. The Italian put a stubborn back injury out of action. Now she attacks again. Her experiences in the past few months should help her.
Nobody knows whether Lisa Vittozzi in the 2024/25 biathlon season would have had what it takes to win the overall World Cup in a row. One thing is certain: the Italian would certainly not have waved through Franzi Preuss, Lou JeanMonnot and Co. and delivered a hard fight for them. However, a serious back injury prevented the 30-year-old from being used, which has been looking back on the past few months with mixed feelings.
Vittozzi admitted the injury cold and honestly at an event at an event of the Italian association. “I didn’t expect it because I had a very good preparation and was very satisfied. And I had also improved compared to the previous year. So I was determined to defend my title,” said Vittozzi.
Biathlon star had “great pressure and worries”
In November her back suddenly closed. Until December she tried to work against it, “but my back didn’t play. I had too severe pain”. Since she did not want to risk a “mediocre season” in which the 100 percent would not have been possible for her, she decided to use the entire winter of 2024/25 for recovery.
In the meantime, Vittozzi explained, she felt better. “My body reacts well and bit by bit I realize that it is better and I get calmer. In the beginning it wasn’t that way. I had great pressure and worries there,” the Italian looked back at the end of last year. Ultimately, it was also an experience from which she learned a lot.
“The fact that you should follow the signals of the body and head and take your space and breaks. I lived at 100 km/h last year. That might be a little too much and I noticed it too late,” said the Italian, who still stayed for around ten months to find back to the top form up to the Olympic Games.