Top Italian biathlete Lisa Vittozzi is forced to start her Christmas break early.
A cold forced Lisa Vittozzi to watch on Sunday. The Italian will not take part in the mass start at the World Cup in Annecy (from 12:15 p.m. in the live ticker sport.de), as their biathlon association announced shortly before. The decision was made on Saturday evening, reports Fondo Italia.
Vittozzi had already indicated in the last few days that she was feeling tired. On Saturday when she was chasing, she didn’t seem to be in top shape and had a lot of difficulty, especially on her skis. After two mistakes in the first round, she couldn’t get past sixth place.
On Thursday she was in fourth place in the sprint when, after a flawless shooting performance, she was only beaten by Hanna Öberg from Sweden, Lou Jeanmonnot from France and her compatriot Dorothea Wierer.
Biathlon star Vittozzi is fighting his way back after a long break
The overall World Cup winner from the 2023/24 season has impressively returned to the top of the world this season – including her victory in the pursuit of Hochfilzen. The 30-year-old is in sixth place in the overall World Cup before the first mass start of the winter.
Lisa Vittozzi’s big goal remains the Olympic Games at home. The Italian also stopped last season so she could be in top condition for the career highlight.
According to “Fondo Italia”, the ski hunter will have to undertake an intensive training program during the Christmas break after her recovery in order to prepare for the second trimester in the biathlon calendar. The Olympic biathlon competitions will take place in Antholz in February. It is still unclear whether Vittozzi will miss one or two World Cups in the new year in order to be in top shape for the Olympics.