Official: Vittozzi's biathlon season ends before it begins

Reigning Grand Crystal Globe winner Lisa Vittozzi has missed stage after stage this season due to health problems and has not taken part in a single race. However, this was only the tip of the Italian's problems.

Details: According to the Italian Winter Sports Federation, Vittozzi will sit out the entire biathlon season. After resuming training, the 29-year-old began experiencing discomfort, which led her to prioritize a full recovery in preparation for the next season, an Olympic year.

Quote: "I approached the start of this season with enthusiasm and the desire to once again compete at the highest level. Unfortunately, an issue that arose during a critical phase of preparation forced me to stop. When I resumed training with greater intensity, my body could not handle even the moderate workload planned by the coaches.

We decided not to rush my return to avoid further risks and to protect the upcoming months of training, shifting our focus to the Milan-Cortina 2026 Games, which are the true objective of this Olympic cycle," said Vittozzi.