Five-circle objective: Lisa Vittozzi focuses on the new sporting season with a very specific target. Clear ideas, indeed very clear, those of the sappadina who aims for redemption by looking with confidence and optimism at the event of the 2022 events: the Beijing Olympics. A few days of rest among the welcoming and always relaxing walls of the house in Sappada, the right opportunity to talk at 360 degrees about what has been and, above all, what will be.
Lisa, how do you rate yourself for the 2020/2021 season?
“A six, but more trustworthy than anything else. It was not a particular season, certainly not easy. I had to deal with many difficulties that culminated with Covid. When I felt I was close to the best athletic condition, after the long period of preparation, practically close to the first race I was held back by the virus and at that point I had to raise the white flag. I found myself locked at home, alone, ten days before the first race. A boulder. Once she recovered, the rehabilitation process was long and complex. However, being able to return to the race, with appreciable even if not excellent results, represents an element of confidence from which I intend to start again ».
Can you tell us a little about your relationship with Covid?
«I caught the virus in November when the biathlon season actually kicks off, ten days before the debut I found myself positive in one of the routine checks we do in retreat. At the beginning I had also taken it well, I said “I’ll rest a little and go”; then in reality a personal ordeal began, not only physical but also mental. I stayed in the pits for a month and a half, returning to both training and racing was not easy but in the end I succeeded, pulling out the right determination. The same one that I will need this year to redeem myself ».
Extra-sports question: Did covid teach you anything?
“Absolutely yes. In the meantime, it helped me to get to know myself better, especially to get to know my body better. We athletes are used to always being well, but there are times when you need to know how to disconnect, respect the times, respect your body. The worst thing about my time with the virus was finding myself alone in the house, isolated from the rest of the world. I made video calls to everyone, at any time of day or night ».
The covid also affected the biathlon season, not just that of Lisa Vittozzi.
«The organization of the IBU was exceptional. Everything has been prepared to perfection, from the swabs to the periods of isolation. It was certainly not easy, both for those who were called to organize everything from the logistical point of view and a lot for us athletes. The strangest thing was competing without an audience, for us in the biathlon who are used to having thirty thousand people celebrating in the arena it was a shock. There was to be very careful, we did it; but now we hope to be able to return to normal, both in everyday life and also in the race. Without ever letting our guard down because we have seen that the covid does not intend to abandon us ».
And now? Where do we start from?
«The first sensations are good. With the new coach (Mirco Romanin, born in 1989 from Forni Avoltri, ed) an excellent feeling was immediately created. It is what I have been looking for for some time because lately I had lost the best spirit to face both the rallies and the races. I understood that something, both inside me and especially in the organization of my work, needed to be changed. The mental aspect is very important. I have embarked on a path of change that has also led me to undertake, since last year, a path with a mental coach who follows me in my sporting life. I have to thank Aiace Rusciano who has been following me since last year. The first positive feedback I began to warn them at the beginning of this year. I have the feeling that I have returned to being the best Lisa Vittozzi. I feel like I’m a strong girl again, especially from a character point of view. Grit is decisive in the performance of a biathlete, I felt I had lost the enamel of the best times lately; and I worked a lot on this aspect ».
The new season therefore opens with renewed wishes and with a great goal. Which?
«The Beijing Olympics, it could not be otherwise. There will be a long journey that will require commitment and sacrifices, but I feel I am ready. Indeed, I can’t wait to start the season with the first official rallies. We will also do a long period of training at high altitude because the biathlon track designed for the Olympics is on high ground ».
Can we say that Lisa Vittozzi’s holidays are already over?
«We did a first period of training in June, then finally I was able to grant myself a holiday that I spent at the seaside, strictly in Italy. Now I will give myself a few days at home, in Sappada. I will train in the mountains at home while also spending some time with my family who in the meantime are busy managing the hotel. I always feel the need to spend some time in Sappada, at home, among friends and loved ones. It is an important moment for someone like me who spends most of the year away, always traveling and traveling from one part of the world to the other. But after a while the desire to train in a rally returns, with teammates, followed by the technicians. It will happen in August, I’m already ready ».