After a creative break

Olympic participant continues her career after all

Sylvia Steiner is taking a break until February.(Bild: GEPA pictures/Armin Rauthner)

Pistol shooter Sylvia Steiner is continuing her career after two appearances at the Olympics and a break since the summer.The Pongau native will be enjoying her time out until the end of February before a gentle return to action is on the agenda.

The demands are already high. In any case, Sylvia Steiner was anything but satisfied with her results at the Summer Games in Paris - 17th place in the 25 m pistol and 27th place in the 10 m air pistol. Yet the 42-year-old is Salzburg's only (and therefore most successful) female Olympic starter at the Summer Games of the 21st century! Like her predecessor and tennis ace Judith Wiesner in '92 and '96, she also made it to the Olympics twice, and the Pongau native also competed in Tokyo in 2021.

Creative break with an open end
But: "The last three years have been exhausting. For a long time, it was uncertain whether I would even qualify for Paris." The sports soldier therefore decided to take an open-ended break for the time being. The focus was also on the question of whether the athlete from the Bischofshofen shooting guild would find the motivation to pick up where she left off. For example, with two World Championship gold medals in 2022 and '23 and the world record (545 rings) with the 50 m pistol.

The Salzburg native has now lifted the cloak of silence: "I'm taking a break until the end of February and will then get back into it with military competitions. I would miss something without the sport."

In order not to put too much pressure on herself, the double Olympic athlete trained by her father Franz Steiner will then decide which goals and competitions seem most attractive to her depending on her form.