Hauser is certainly capable of another coup in the more balanced top group of women. “I’m going to Oberhof with one goal: Of course, a medal would be the greatest thing of all,” emphasized the 29-year-old, who won a sprint and a mass start in the World Cup in December. After the turn of the year there were no further podium places, but she regularly placed in the front field. “My January was consistently good, the worst place was 13. I was always within striking distance.”
Hauser is well aware that all the components have to be right to win a medal. “I’ve experienced that before in Pokljuka. That’s why I know that everything has to fit together, and that’s not something that can be taken for granted. But of course I’ll try what I can do.” During the preparations for the World Championships in Obertilliach and Hochfilzen, she worked meticulously on her somewhat fluctuating running form and small shortcomings at the shooting range.
Good and bad memories
During the World Cup it is important to keep calm even after setbacks. “I have to find that certain looseness and still look for it so that it’s not too forced, the whole thing. That you can still deliver good races even if the start of the World Championship week isn’t quite optimal,” explained Hauser.
World Cup preparation in Hochfilzen
Austria’s biathlon aces get the finishing touches in Hochfilzen for the World Championships in Oberhof. As far as the chances of top results are concerned, the hopes in these title fights rest primarily on the women.
She has good memories of Oberhof with the dreaded Birxsteig and the wind-prone shooting range with her first podium finish in the World Cup two years ago, but also some bad memories such as falls and broken guns. “But I think I’ll focus more on the positive memories. I’m looking forward to Oberhof.” She is also looking forward to the first major event with fans who have been admitted again since the 2020 World Cup – the organizers are expecting a total of 160,000 spectators. “The mood is going to be really cool, a brutal number of people are announced. It will be a really cool big event.”
Opportunities not only for Hauser
The title fights will open on Wednesday with the mixed relay (2.45 p.m., live on ORF1), in this discipline the ÖSV team achieved a sensation two years ago with silver through Hauser, Dunja Zdouc, David Komatz and Simon Eder. It will be very difficult to repeat that, but ideally you could get back into the medal fight.
After good performances, the same applies to the women’s relay around Hauser and Anna Gandler. The latter is targeting top ten results in the individual races from Friday after a strong debut season in the World Cup.
Eder gained self-confidence
The men’s team around Simon Eder is in the outsider role in the medal fight. However, the unerring veteran gained some self-confidence in Antholz with his first two top ten places of the winter. Felix Leitner, who is looking for his form, will not be there in Oberhof. The Tyrolean, who last played at the European Championships in Lenzerheide, is still struggling with physical problems and is concentrating on training for the remaining World Cup competitions.
Against the Norwegian superiority around serial winners Johannes Thingnes Bö and Sturla Holm Laegreid, there will most likely be no herb, not only for Eder. Of course, the soon to be 40-year-old has already shown great class several times at major events, as his World Cup bronze medals in 2016 and 2017 show. Two years ago in Pokljuka, he finished fourth in the mass start, just barely empty handed.
Biathlon World Championships in Oberhof
World Cup program:
- Wednesday, February 8: mixed relay (2.45 p.m., all races live on ORF1)
- Friday, February 10: Sprint Women (14:30)
- Saturday 11 February: Men’s Sprint (14.30)
- Sunday, February 12: Pursuit of women (1:25 p.m.), Pursuit of men (3:30 p.m.)
- Tuesday 14 February: Singles Men (14.30)
- Wednesday 15 February: Singles Women (14.30)
- Thursday, February 16: Single Mixed Relay (10/15)
- Saturday, February 18: Men’s Relay (11:45), Women’s Relay (15:00)
- Sunday, February 19: Men’s mass start (12.30 p.m.), women’s mass start (15.15 p.m.)
ÖSV squad:
Women: Anna Gandler, Lisa Hauser, Anna Juppe, Tamara Steiner, Dunja Zdouc
Men: Simon Eder, David Komatz, Harald Lemmerer, Dominic Unterweger
