Lisa Maria Spark is the 2023 European Biathlon Champion in singles, and she also won silver in the mixed relay with her colleague Selina Grotjan. The 22-year-old from Traunstein has now reviewed her great successes in her sport.de column.
Room 215 in the Hotel “Bestzeit” in Parpan: The center of our lives for eight days for Selina Grotian and me during the European Biathlon Championships in Lenzerheide. Room 215: somehow also something like the hotel’s internal trading place for precious metals, as bronze, two silver and two gold were “hoarded” there at the end. Room 215: sometimes a tunnel where we warmed up with the song “Sport” by Apache before the race:
“I promise, tomorrow I’ll do sports again and from then on I’ll only eat healthy”
That was the beat that inspired us – what a European championship, because room 215 was also the room with the youngest athletes who were allowed to start for Germany, who basically just wanted to gain experience within a field of World Cup experienced participants and now can’t get the smile off your face.
Selina and I both became European champions, Selina in the pursuit, I in the individual and together we then won silver in the mixed relay.
I bow to my fellow European champion, because she even got a bronze medal in the individual and thus kidnapped a complete set of medals from Graubünden. We’re kind of proud of each other that we were able to be so successful as the youngest athletes on the team and that we’ve now really experienced that we can survive in such a first-class field.
The days in Lenzerheide were a stocktaking, a location assessment that turned out positive, reward for the effort in training and motivation to continue to push things even further.
Above all, room 215 was a place of order and discipline, all medals were always well packed and stowed away after they had been presented in the room, and racing bags were always packed the evening before; so there is plenty of time in the morning to focus on the essentials and that is apparently a good basis for success.
Room 215, a place of rest where everyone lets everyone else be tired after the races. Few words, much understanding. But also a place where you can celebrate, especially with sparkling wine, which my sister “smuggled” into the room on the last evening of the championships. We deserved a glass of everything here. You also have to be able to celebrate together.
After the beautiful days in Graubünden we will go to Obertilliach for the next IBU Cup, but before that we will open the box again, celebrate and sing with full conviction with a glass of sparkling wine in our hands:
“I promise, tomorrow I’ll do sports again and from then on I’ll only eat healthy”
Best regards
Lisa Maria Spark