Russians disqualified

Former Carinthian biathlete wins Olympic silver medal

Ten years after the Games in Sochi (Rus), former biathlete Daniel Mesotitsch can still look forward to second place. His son Sami will be competing in the IBU Junior Cup from December. .

A medal upgrade could be on the cards! Ten years after the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Austria's biathlon relay team (Christoph Sumann/Daniel Mesotitsch/Simon Eder/Dominik Landertinger) could move up from third to second place. Because Yevgeny Ustyugov was banned by the victorious Russians in 2020 for taking a banned steroid.

Daniel Mesotitsch already won silver in Vancouver (Canada) in 2010.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

IBU has updated the result
The International Olympic Committee has now annulled the result, but there is still no new gold medal winner in the IOC statistics. However, the International Biathlon Union (IBU) already has Germany in first place, followed by Austria in second. "The award ceremony back then was cool because the Russians won. Whether we get bronze or silver now is completely irrelevant emotionally. It would be different if it was gold. I just hope that we also get the cash prize for second place," says Daniel Mesotisch from Rosental, who already won silver in the relay in Vancouver (Canada) in 2010.

Sami Mesotitsch will be competing in the IBU Juniors Cup from December.(Bild: GEPA)

However, it could be some time before the IOC makes a final decision. This is because at this year's Summer Games in Paris, some awards of this kind were made up for, so it might not be until the Games in Cortina in 2026. "If you're invited, why wouldn't you go there? But I won't be jumping around like a Rumpelstiltskin either," says Mesotitsch, whose offspring Sami is now following in his father's footsteps and was called up to the ÖSV C squad in the summer.

Son starts in the IBU Junior Cup
From December, the 20-year-old will be competing in the IBU Junior Cup. "He has more potential than I had. He is more talented as a skier and is constantly improving. I was perhaps better at shooting, but it's all in my head," says Mesotitsch, whose wife Sem works as a biathlon coach at the Carinthian Provincial Ski Association and as sports coordinator at Union Rosenbach. "In the meantime, I'm only on hand to give advice, my wife does the rest," says Mesotitsch.