Her father is also a former professional skier
These two biathlon stars are a couple
Updated 12/5/2025 – 6:03 amReading time: 2 minutes
After a difficult season, Anna Gandler is back in the World Cup. She is also supported by her boyfriend – and he is a biathlon star himself.
At the season opener in Östersund, Anna Gandler reached 19th place in the individual. The Austrian only ended up in the middle of the field, but managed to place twice as well as her partner. Émilien Claude had to be content with 38th place among the men.
The Frenchman has been with the 24-year-old for a long time. As early as June 2023, they both posted a photo of the golf course together. When Claude achieved his first podium finish in Ruhpolding at the beginning of the year, his girlfriend was also excited.
She told Nordic Magazine afterwards: “The race was incredible. I’m at a loss for words. I was in my room, in my bed, and I also watched it in the IBU data center because I wanted to know the result straight away, before the TV pictures… And I realized that he was going to make it to the podium, it’s unbelievable.” Gandler added with a laugh: “I cried too.”
Both also repeatedly give insights into their lives on Instagram – and share personal and funny moments. In October, the couple posted a video in which Austrian and French cuisine compete with each other and everyone has to choose one dish per round. But they also show difficult moments in their profiles and give each other support.
When Gandler announced her early end to the season on Instagram and explained to her followers that she was struggling with sleep disorders, had “some kind of infection” every month since May and her body had told her that it wasn’t working anymore, the 26-year-old also commented on this. He left a red heart under the post and an emoji that represents strength and power.
Conversely, the 24-year-old supported her boyfriend after he had to undergo spinal disc surgery in the summer. In a video that Claude uploaded to Instagram of his recovery process, he also shows Gandler feeding him grapes in the hospital.
The Austrian is not only in a relationship with a winter sports ace, the athlete’s enthusiasm for sports was practically born in her cradle. Because: Her father is ex-cross-country skier Markus Gandler. He won the silver medal in the 10 kilometer classic at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. The ex-athlete probably passed on his love of cross-country skiing to his 24-year-old daughter.