Emotional End to Biathlon Stars' Careers and Controversies at Italian Games

The Olympic competitions in Antholz and Livigno provided fans with extreme emotions. The central event of the day was the women's mass start in biathlon, which became the arena for farewells of two outstanding athletes. German athlete Franziska Preuß, despite seven penalty loops and a distant 28th place, was farewelled with a standing ovation. The athlete admitted that the last few days had been exceptionally difficult for her due to hate on social media, which she described as "psychological terror." A similar step to end her career was taken by Italian Dorothea Wierer, finishing her final race in a high fifth place. French athletes triumphed – gold was won by Océane Michelon ahead of Julia Simon. In Livigno, the home fans celebrated a double in skicross, where Simone Deromedis won gold and Federico Tomasoni silver. Bronze was secured by 40-year-old Swiss Alex Fiva, for whom this is his second Olympic medal in his career. However, the atmosphere of the competition was marred by an incident in the semifinal, where Ryan Regez unsportingly blocked German Tim Hronek, depriving him of a chance at the podium. Regez later expressed remorse in an interview, apologizing for his behavior. Biathlon debuted in the Olympic program during the 1960 Squaw Valley Games. Since then, the discipline has evolved from military competitions into one of the most popular winter spectacles, dominated in recent decades by the teams from Norway, Germany, and France. A scandal erupted in the German speed skating team. Fridtjof Petzold, after being eliminated from the mass start, accused the DESG federation of unprofessionalism and terrible management, which resonated widely in the media. In cross-country skiing, a major setback hit the Swedish team. Frida Karlsson, a major favorite for gold, had to withdraw from the 50 km race due to a fever. Meanwhile, Johannes Hösflot Klæbo confirmed his dominance by winning the 50 km race and securing another title. 7 — penalty loops run by Franziska Preuß in her final race The organizers of the next Games in 2030, which will be held in the French Alps, are facing internal problems. Edgar Grospiron, head of the organizing committee, is facing personal conflicts and criticism regarding delays in planning infrastructure investments. Despite this, the International Olympic Committee expresses confidence that France will complete preparations on time. „Dieser Psychoterror, wenn die Leute sagen, schau bloß nicht auf Social Media, was da wieder geschrieben wird. Da werden Grenzen überschritten.” — Franziska Preuß