The sport of biathlon has been hit by an unprecedented wave of retirements in recent weeks. A former world champion could be the next to take her hat. She reacts annoyed to such questions.
With Denise Herrmann-Wick, Marte Olsbu Røiseland, Tiril Eckhoff and Anaïs Chevalier-Bouchet, four former biathlon world champions have announced their retirement in recent weeks. With the Russian Ekaterina Yurlova-Percht, another former title holder could end her career in the summer. Rumors of her resignation persist.
On the fringes of the Russian Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk, the 38-year-old was asked if these were the last races of her career. Her evasive answer: “I would recommend you not to ask me anymore. I’m fed up with this question. If I decide to take this step, you will be the first to know about it.”
With Yurlova-Percht, the Russian biathlon sport would lose one of its most successful athletes in recent years. The 38-year-old, who made her World Cup debut in 2008, was one of the winners at the 2015 World Championships in Kontiolahti. At that time she won in singles ahead of the Czech Gabriela Soukalová and the Finn Kaisa Mäkäräinen.
The Russian also won the silver medal in the mass start at the 2019 World Championships in Östersund. In the Swedish biathlon stronghold, she only had to admit defeat to Dorothea Wierer. Yurlova-Percht was only five seconds short of her second world title. Bronze went to Denise Herrmann-Wick.
In the World Cup, on the other hand, the Russian was denied the really big successes. She celebrated her only victory in the 2015/16 season in the pursuit of Antholz. Her best result in the overall World Cup ranking was 13th place in the 2017/18 season.