Dorothea Wierer is an Italian ‘shooting skier’ who managed to end the dominance of German and Norwegian athletes in women’s biathlon, on Sunday winning the 10k pursuit at the World Championships to bag her second world title.
“I couldn’t believe I won the race till the very finish,” the newly crowned champion said after the race in Antholz, Italy.
“I was happy to race today because I had better feeling than in sprint. I was really confident in shooting. I was just trying to enjoy it,” added Wierer, who delighted the home crowd by bringing Italy its first gold.
It is the second medal for Wierer, who earlier won silver together with her teammate in the mixed relay which opened the program of the 2020 World Championships.
The 29-year-old, who was far behind the top 40 biathletes several years ago, shot to fame in 2016 when she finished second in the women’s pursuit at the World Championships in Germany, picking up her first ever individual award.
Since then she has established herself as one of the leaders, consistently taking podium spots at World Cup stages and other international events run by the International Biathlon Union (IBU).
Last year she claimed her maiden world title in the women’s mass start, shattering the seemingly unshakable positions of Norwegian and German counterparts who had dominated women’s biathlon for years.
With just two years to go before the 2022 Olympics in China, Wierer could enter the Winter Games as one of the favorites with her sights set on adding the coveted title to her two Olympic bronzes already won in relay races.