The past biathlon season was bitter for Anna Gandler. After the “chaos,” she now looks hopefully to the future.
Anna Gandler struggled with several illnesses and infections in the past biathlon season. This greatly affected the Austrian’s training, turning the winter into a horror. Now, the athlete has spoken about the difficult months.
“Last summer, I couldn’t train properly because I had to take breaks again and again. In short, my training was a complete chaos,” the 24-year-old said in an interview with Nordic Magazine. After finishing 19th in the overall World Cup in the 2023/2024 season, she wanted to finally reach the top of the world.
Anna Gandler had a difficult season
Despite another virus, she competed in the World Cup in November: “It was perhaps a bit too early, and then it was difficult throughout the entire season.”
Even outside of competitions, the infections severely restricted the former Junior World Champion in pursuit. The treatment was particularly difficult, as she further explained: “I couldn’t sleep anymore, I had no strength. When my lactate levels went up, they couldn’t go down anymore. My regeneration was really bad.”
“I couldn’t sleep anymore”
During the Biathlon World Championships in February, her health condition worsened even more: “During the World Championships, I actually had a bad flu and had to go to the hospital with a fever of 40 degrees.”
In March, Gandler wanted to travel to the World Cup in Nove Mesto, but that was also not possible. Her health condition “was a real disaster.”
She then decided to end her season prematurely and focus entirely on recovery and regeneration. She is now aiming for the Olympic Winter Games in February.
Gandler takes Franziska Preuß as a role model
“It was a good decision, but it wasn’t easy to accept,” she continued. For the future, she hopes for success and better times. She takes Franziska Preuß, who also struggled with many absences, as a role model for this.
“Franziska Preuß was in the same situation as me, and now she has won the overall World Cup! If she could do it, why can’t I?” she said hopefully.
After a sufficient break, she started training again in April and now wants to focus on the Olympic Games in Milan.