Three Races, Three Medals, Two Titiles: Janina Hettich-Walz Celebrated on Impressive Comeback at the German Biathlon Championships. In the Sport1 Interview, The 29-Year-Old Talks About Her Journey Back to Competitives Sports and Reveals which goals She has set for the upcoming winter.
Gold, Gold, and Silver. Janina Hettich-Walz, Who Paused Last Winter Due to the Birth of Her Daughter Karlotta in February, Caused a Sensation at the first real assessment after long week of Preparation and Took Home Three Medals. At the German Biathlon Championships in Große Arber in the Bavarian Forest, The 29-Year-Old Won the Shortened Individual As Well as The Sprint, and Finished Second in the Pursuit.
Before Her Maternity Leave, Hettich-Walz Definitive Established Herself In The World’s Elite and Celebrated Her Greatest Sporting Success So Far With Second Place In The Individual at the 2024 World Championships in Nove Mesto. In an interview with Sport1 , she underlines Her Great ambitions for the upcoming season and talks about the life of a female athlete as a mother.
Sport1: You Celebrated Your comeback after a Maternity Leave at the German Championships – and it Couldn’t Have Gone Better: Two Wins, One Second Place. Were you Surprised by Yourself?
Janina Hettich-Walz: A Little Bit Definitely. I noticed in training that i was in pretty good shape, and i already thought that i might be ABLE to Competote for the podium places. But i Didn’t Expect to Win the First Two Races and So Set the Fastest Running Times.
“The Organizational Effort is great”
Sport1: THESE WERE YOUR first Competitions This Year, and you immediately Left all the estasblished Names Behind You. Among Others, Overall World Cup Winner Franziska Preuss, Vanessa Voigt, and Selina Grotian.
Hettich-Walz: You have to put That Into Perspective. For me, the German Championships Were Part of the World Cup qualification. Not for Franzi, Selina, and Vanessa. Therefore, I had to approach things differly, a bit more offensive. I Wanted to See If I Could Competete at the Front Again – at Least That Seems To Be Working For The First Time. We have many Strong Girls in our own ranks who have shown in the past that they are great international. You shouldn’t hide. And Especialy after a Longer Break, it’s nice when you can Orient Yourself to the other. That gives a little extra motivation (Laughs) .
Sport1: How Much Time Did You Give Yourself After Your Pregnancy Until You Start Biathlon Training Again?
Hettich-Walz: I Started Doing Light Exercise Again Two Or Three Weeks After Giving Birth in February. I Really Started Again Around the End of April and the Beginning of May. I had to change some things in my Planning Compared to Previous Years Because I am A Mother now. But by and Large, i was able to implement many things as i had imagined.
Sport1: You are now in the Middle of Preparations for the Coming Winter. What is the biggest challenge in everyday life to manage the balancing act between competitive sports and motherhood? Is your daughter always with you?
Hettich-Walz: The Organizational Effort is great. The Whole Family Has to Help with that. The most importing thing for me is to keep Telling MySelf: When I Train, then Properly and with Maximum Quality. There are Now Days When Training Has To Be Shorter Or Even Completely Canceled Because of My Daughter. I don’t want to be stressed by that, but make the best possible use of the time i have. When we were load in Livigno and Bessans in Training Camp, My Husband and Karlotta Traveled with Us. He Took Care of Karlotta there so that I Could Train With the Team.
Janina Hettich-Walz is working on her comeback
“The Lack of Sleep is not so bad for me”
Sport1: Your daughter is now seven Months old. How is the family doing and what character has she revealed so far?
Hettich-Walz: We are doing well, she is healthy and full of life. We can’t complain about that. Karlotta is very Alert. She Always has something to see or to kick and Apparently Powers Herself out very well. Because She Sleeps Quite Well at Night. The Lack of Sleep is not so bad for me. At least not Until Now (Laghs) .
Sport1: You Didn’t Run in the World Cup for a Season. What what it like not to be constant to the pressure of competitive sports?
Hettich-Walz: to be honest, it was a little nice not to have to think about biathlon all the time. In A Way, I was to enjoy the time. But the Longer the Break Lasted, The More I Realized How Much I Missed the Sport. Especialy the Competitions, The Direct Duels. That’s why it was clear to me long ago that i absolutely wanted to be there again this winter.
“I Feel at Least as Fit as I Did Two Or Three Years Ago”
Sport1: There are alread biathletes who have Celebrated their comeback after a pregnancy break and achieved great success. Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, for Example. Have you inquired with athletes who have returned as mother how they did it?
Hettich-Walz: I have followed one or the other career from a distance, but consciously did not ask exactly. I Wanted to do My Own Thing and Not Be stressed. OtherWise, all the Questions would come up: How Much Sport Do You Do During Pregnancy? When do you start again afterwards? If someone had Told Me That She Was on Skis Two Weeks After Giving Birth, While I Didn’t Feel Like It At All Ath all at the same time, that would have put me under a lot of pressure. I Wanted to Listen to My Own Body. Every pregnancy is different. That’s why i deliberately hero back a bit with Inquiries.
Sport1: What Level of Performance are you at right now, if you compare it to the time before the birthday?
Hettich-Walz: I think I’m on a pretty good path. It’s hard to express that in Percentagen. But i Feel at Least as Fit as I Did Two Or Three Years Ago. If not even a tick fitter for this point in the preparation. Of course, i know that the world cup in winter are still a long way off and i have to confirm my performance there first – so far it was only a good weekend. But it has shown me that my training seems to be going well and it could hopefully be Similar in winter.
Janina Hettich-Walz Won Silver in the individual at the 2024 World Championships
“The Support I Receive is great”
Sport1: Do You See Yourself AS A Role Model for Other Biathletes?
Hettich-Walz: I don’t want to be a role model in this Regard. At least i don’t see myself that way. Nevertheless, I would be happy if i could So Show that a return to Competitives Sports after a pregnancy is possible. That you can combine motherhood and sports. You have to work hard, no questions. But That’s Always The Case at the Top Level. In German Winter Sports, it hasn’t Often Happed that someone has come back after a baby break. I Hope this can be a sign.
Sport1: About a Year and a Half Ago, Miriam Neureuther Said in the Sport1 Interview that “The Door in Winter Sports is Still Relately Closed” For Such Topics, “At Least in Germany.”
Hettich-Walz: I haven’t had search experience. But I had the advantage that i took the baby break after a very good season. The Coaches and Felix (Bitterling, DSV Sports Director; Editor’s Note ) Immediately Promised Support. I was allowed to stay in the lg1a training Group, in the Highest Training Group. That helped a lot. In the run-up, i did not know how people would react to the topic. There will be Always Be critics or skeptics anyway. I Don’t worry about that at all. So far, i can only say that the reactions have been consistently positive.
Sport1: Can you explain in more detail what the association’s support looks like?
Hettich-Walz: The Support I Receive is great. I can relry on everyone. In Addition to Maintaining the Squad Status, The Contact With The Medical Department in the Association was very good. I Could Get Advice at Any Time. I Didn’t Need Anything more at all. And in Winter I Can Then Take My Daughter to the World Cups, which is of course extremely important. We will find a good solution for every competition, that’s for sura.
“Antholz is one of my favorite World Cup Venues”
Sport1: The Winter of 2025/26 is Slowly Casting Its Shadows. With which goals are you going into the new season?
Hettich-Walz: My goal is to particular in the Olympic Games and Win a Medal there. I have that Clearly in Mind. The Vice Title (Second Place in the World Championship Individual 2024; Editor’s Note ) Has Shown me what is possible and that i have the potential to do so. If everything fits, it can go far forward.