Sister Act: How the Gasparins transformed Switzerland into a biathlon nation

Siblings are not an uncommon sight in the world of biathlon.

There are the infamous Boe brothers, the Wierer and Oeberg sisters, but there is no skiing and shooting family quite like Switzerland’s Selina, Elisa and Aita Gasparin.

Before the Gasparins entered the sport their home country had neither medalled at the Olympics in biathlon nor won on the World Cup tour; they didn’t even have a women’s relay team in the World Cup.

It was down to the pioneering efforts of Selina, supported later by her two sisters inspired by her successes, that today Switzerland is a true biathlon nation and the name Gasparin is synonymous with the sport.

Trail blazers, with a unique story to tell, meet the Gasparins - the backbone of Swiss biathlon.

The Gasparins: A chance discovery

Like many children of the Alps, Selina Gasparin began skiing around the age she could walk.

Electing cross-country skiing over alpine, it wasn’t long before the eldest was taking part in competitions, moving from youth ski club to regional squad and eventually into the national team.

When one summer she returned from her studies in Norway, a visit to Andermatt changed everything. There, Selina was offered the chance to try shooting and she took to it like a duck to water:

“It was love at first sight!” the biathlon star shared with Biathlon World. “I showed so much enthusiasm from the get-go that they even invited me to train with the national team. On the first day they gave me a spare rifle and said: ‘now you are a biathlete.’”

Back in Norway, Selina continued her cross-country training as normal but in her spare time would go to the range and practice her shot – getting better each day.

While Selina was developing her talents overseas, back in Switzerland her younger sister Elisa was trying biathlon for the first time. A friend suggested the two of them try it, so they were practising it for fun.

As for Aita, once her two sisters became increasingly more involved in the sport, joining the fray seemed obvious but there was still an important decision to be made.

An already talented gymnast and cross-country skier, biathlon wasn’t the obvious choice, but her siblings soon convinced her otherwise:

“When my sisters gifted me a rifle for my confirmation at 16, my Italian grandparents were shocked,” the youngest remembers fondly to Biathlon World. “They didn’t quite understand what this sport is about and neither did any of my relatives, to be honest.”

Now all three were well and truly in the game.

Biathlon’s favourite sisters: blazing a trail

Sure enough, each sister made their biathlon World Cup debuts – Selina in 2005, Elisa in 2010 and Aita in 2014.

As the eldest and leading the charge, Selina began to notch a series of 'firsts.' She became Switzerland's first biathlon Olympian at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. In 2013, she clinched Switzerland’s first ever World Cup race wins.

However, her and her sisters’ biggest breakthrough came at the 2014 Sochi Games, where Selina made history twice.

Not only did she and her sisters became the first ever Olympic biathlon relay team to feature three siblings, setting a truly impressive precedent, but she also stole her own individual slice of glory when she won silver in the women’s 15km individual – earning Switzerland its first-ever biathlon Olympic medal.

Since that watershed moment the siblings have only grown in strength – and most importantly as a united front.

In 2019, the sisters, along with teammate Lena Häckl, scored their first ever World Cup relay podium in Òstersund – it was a historic achievement for the country and the beginning of something remarkable for the team.

They would go on to secure a further two podium finishes in 2020, with Selina taking her own most recent personal victory also in 2020 with a second place in pursuit at Kontiolahti.

READ MORE: Meet Sturla Holm Lægreid: the rising biathlon star inspired by Ole Einar Bjørndalen

Selina Gasparin: biathlon, motherhood and leading the way

Being a biathlon role model for both your sisters and your country is no small achievement and it’s a responsibility the eldest Gasparin, throughout her life, has taken in her stride.

In truth, the hardest challenge for the 37-year-old has not come from the inevitable burden of paving the way for others but from trying to stay at the top of her game and become a mother.

Before her historic silver medal in Sochi the biathlete envisioned hanging up her rifle at the end of the season and starting a family; when she returned from Russia her maternity plans hadn’t changed but her taste for success had – and now she wanted both.

Resolute on returning to form after her first child, it wasn’t after the birth that Gasparin began her comeback that she realised how much her body had changed:

“How did I feel during my first training a few weeks after the birth of my daughter Leile in Feburary 2015? Worse than a debutant! My body tissues were weak, I was overweight and exhausted. I failed to do a 10-minute jog,” Gasparin shared with the Swiss Olympic Team reflecting on life after birth. “The sensations in my body were completely different from what one feels after an injury.”

Still, Gasparin persevered and by October she was back competing on the World Cup circuit and for the first time as a mother.

“I never gave on my project. I needed the challenge at the time. And luckily, after the first few trainings, which were terrible, I made rapid progress.”

What also struck the three-time Olympian were the attitudes and realities she encountered during her pregnancies:

“When I first spoke to a coach about my family project, after the Olympic season he said to me: ‘Go on for two more years, finish your career and you will have children afterwards.’ This is something a man never hears.”

Her experience of birthing and raising her children alongside her husband Ilya – an Olympic bronze medallist also from Sochi 2014 - has left Gasparin to conclude that there is not enough information out there for athletes wanting to become mothers:

“I’ll be honest and say: it’s possible to come back to the top of the world after pregnancy, but it’s difficult.

“There are a lot of things that need to match for the plan to work. And unlike a man, a woman loses a lot of time due to pregnancy – considering the fact that a sports career is short.”

With all that she has been through Gasparin is continuing to push for athletes to share their experiences of childbirth and the return to sport; arguing that the information should be scientifically processed so that information can be studied and productively shared with others.

It's just a small part of the epic legacy she and her sisters continue to carve.

Reflecting on her journey, Gasparin is proud of her impact - from the first women relay, the first Olympic medal, the first podium - especially now she sees the next generation coming through:

"I would have never guessed that so many years later, we would have such a strong Elite team, but especially behind us there's such a talent movement of youngsters. For me, it is so nice to see how a biathlon centre grew in Lenzerheide under my eyes," the three-time Olympian continued to Biathlon World.

"At the beginning we were close to nothing and now we are not far from one of the best teams in the world.

"I am proud of this and of the fact that maybe I helped a little with my example and my results, but it really was a journey together."

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic biathlon competition will run from February 5 to February 19. Find the full schedule here.