After the biathlon final

Ready for the island – but not for another three weeks

Flowers make you happy: Gandler

(Bild: ÖSV/Sonnweber)

The 2023/24 biathlon season is over - it came to an end on Sunday with the mass starts in Canmore, Canada! And yet: The skis won't end up in the corner for a long time yet, because for Anna Gandler and Lisa Hauser the past winter is far from being "water under the bridge"!

Anyone who thinks that a vacation comes after a World Cup final for endurance athletes is mistaken. It's huge.

Training at the altitude center is the order of the day
"I'll take a few days off after arriving in Innsbruck," admits Anna Gandler. "Garnished" with a few sessions in Lüsens. "Then I'll collect lots of cross-country kilometers with Emilien (Claude/friend) in Livigno." Training in the high altitude center, with a lot of scope. Including ski tours until April 5. Only then will Austria's best biathlete in the past World Cup (19th place in the overall rankings) lie down in the sun: Two days in Dubai, followed by ten days in the Seychelles. "I'm really looking forward to that. That will certainly be another highlight."

Of which the 23-year-old has had a few this winter, "but only since the World Championships in Nove Mesto". She had to change her diet due to an infection caused by a fungus, which robbed her of too much energy for a long time without her realizing it. "But the last few weeks have been incredible!" With five top 10 finishes and four participations in the Flower Ceremony of the best six. And this is exactly where Anna wants to continue her preparations from May onwards.

Hauser, Rothschopf, Juppe, Gandler: the season is over

(Bild: https://twitter.com/Ski_Austria_)

Chasing the snow
The former world champion was unable to live up to her own expectations. Lisa Hauser, the red-white-red flagship athlete for many years, never really got going this season and was repeatedly thrown off her rhythm by illness. "All in all, the season wasn't satisfactory, of course," she explained, "I've been in the World Cup for many years now - it was probably one of the worse ones." Nevertheless, and Hauser is quite right about that, she doesn't want to let anyone talk her down: Twice a sixth place, plus once on the podium (the only one for Austria) in the single-mixed at Antholz.

Hauser stays on snow for the time being

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Nevertheless: Lisa wants to tick off 2023/24 quickly. Which the 30-year-old can do best with her boyfriend Lorenz, her friends and family. "But I'll definitely still be on the snow, I'll just have to search a bit here! But a week in Norway is already fixed!" To lay a good foundation there for the upcoming World Cup season.