Meet Italy's top biathlon medal hopes
From the legendary Dorothea Wierer to budding star Tommaso Giacomel, get to know Italy’s top biathlon medal prospects.
Biathlon
Italy has long been one of the top-tier biathlon nations.
Home to standout athletes like Dorothea Wierer and Lisa Vittozzi, the country consistently achieves in the sport’s premier competitions.
Though an Italian has yet to win an Olympic gold in the biathlon, the European nation has still known success on the world’s biggest sporting stage, boasting a total of seven medals.
The first biathlon Olympic medal for Italy was won by Johann Passler, who claimed bronze in the men's individual event at Calgary 1988. Passler then snagged a second in the 4x7.5 relay along with Werner Kiem, Gottlieb Taschler, and Andreas Zingerle.
Since then, Italy has steadily added to its overall tally with the most recent Olympic medal coming from Wierer’s efforts in the women’s individual sprint at Beijing 2022.
With a home Games on the horizon in the Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026, get to know more about Italy’s leading biathlon medal prospects and see why they are inspiring hope for the home supporters.
Silver medallist Lisa Vittozzi of Italy after the Women's 12.5KM Mass Start at the IBU World Championships Biathlon Nove Mesto
Lisa Vittozzi
Reigning World Cup overall title holder Lisa Vittozzi is currently Italy's leading light in biathlon. And, excitingly for the home fans, she is an athlete coming into her element just in time for Milano Cortina 2026.
Born: 4 February 1995 in Pieve di Cadore, Italy
World Championships
Since her debut in 2015, Vittozzi has competed in eight Biathlon World Championships and medalled at five.
Her first podium came on her maiden appearance at Kontiolahti in Finland in 2015 where she won bronze with the relay team, while her most successful appearance was at the 2024 championships in Nove Mesto where she took her first-ever individual World Championship gold as well as three silvers (pursuit, mass start, and single mixed relay).
World Cup
Like on the world stage, Vittozzi has also been a consistent winner in the Biathlon World Cup with 34 podium finishes to her name. After finishing twice as a runner-up for the Overall World Cup title, in 2023-24 the Italian finally clinched the top prize. She also finished top of the individual and pursuit standings.
Olympics
Vittozzi has competed twice at the Olympic Winter Games. First at Pyeonchang 2018 and then at Beijing 2022. At the Games in the Republic of Korea, she was part of the mixed relay team that took bronze.
Dorothea Wierer in action during the women's 10km pursuit at Beijing 2022
Dorothea Wierer
Dorothea Wierer is the most decorated Italian biathlon athlete in history and is one of a select few to have achieved a victory in every biathlon discipline at World Cup and World Championship level.
Born: 3 April 1990 in Brunico, South Tyrol, Italy
World Championships
Wierer has competed in 11 Biathlon World Championships beginning in 2011 and has seen great success at the showpiece event. To date, Wierer has 12 world medals, including four golds. Her best outing was at the 2020 event at her home, Antholz-Anterselva, where she bagged two golds in the individual and pursuit races and two silvers in the mass start and mixed relay.
World Cup
A veteran of the circuit, Wierer has plenty of bounty from her time competing in the Biathlon World Cup. Wierer has scored 65 World Cup top-three finishes, including 18 golds.
In the 2018-2019 season she took the overall World Cup title and then, a year later, became the first Italian woman to go back-to-back after taking the title again in 2019-20.
Olympics
Wierer has represented Italy in three Olympic Winter Games (2014, 2018, and 2022), leaving each with a bronze medal. Her medal from Beijing 2022 was her first individual achievement, as she finished third in the women’s sprint event. Her previous medals were in the mixed relay.
Bronze medallists Tommaso Giacomel of Italy and Lisa Vittozzi of Italy celebrate following the Single Mixed Relay at the 2023 IBU World Championships Biathlon in Oberhof
Tommaso Giacomel
Born: 5 April 2000 in Vipiteno, Italy
Tommaso Giacomel is one of Italy’s rising stars in biathlon. Having made his World Cup four years ago, the 24-year-old’s ascent up Italy’s biathlon ranks has been quick and impressive.
World Cup
In his 122 World Cup starts, Giacomel has climbed up onto the podium 10 times (six silver, four bronze).
World Championships
Giacomel made his senior debut at the World Championships in 2021, and it didn’t take long for the Italian to find his feet.
In 2023, he left Oberhof with silver in the mixed relay and bronze in the single mixed relay. A year later, he landed on the podium again in second place, taking silver in the single mixed relay.
Olympics
Giacomel was selected to compete at Beijing 2022 where he finished 61st in the men’s sprint and 7th in the relay. As a young star in the sport, the Italian will undoubtedly be targeting an appearance on home snow at Milano Cortina 2026.
PYEONGCHANG-GUN, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 21: Bronze medalists Lisa Vittozzi, Dorothea Wierer, Lukas Hofer and Dominik Windisch of Italy celebrate during the medal ceremony for the Biathlon 2x6km Women + 2x7.5km Men Mixed Relay on day twelve of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Medal Plaza on February 21, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)
Lukas Hofer
Lukas Hofer has been a staple on the Italian biathlon scene since 2009 when he first made his World Cup debut. Since then, he has appeared at multiple World Championships and Olympic Games.
Born: 30 September 1989 in San Candido, South Tyrol, Italy
World Championships
In a testament to his longevity, Hofer has competed in 11 World Championships for Italy. He made his debut appearance at the event in 2011 in Khanty-Mansiysk where he took bronze in the mass start.
The Italian would then have to wait eight years for his next podium finish at a World Championship but it was worth the wait as, in Ostersund, Sweden, Hofer took bronze in the mixed relay and silver in the single mixed relay.
A year later, at home in Atholz-Anterselva, Hofer upgraded his mixed relay bronze to silver along with Vittozzi, Wierer, and Dominik Windisch.
World Cup
Since 2009, Hofer has made 28 World Cup podiums including winning six golds.
Olympics
Hofer has donned the colours of Italy for four consecutive Winter Olympic Games from Vancouver 2010 to, most recently at Beijing 2022. He was part of the mixed relay teams that won bronze at Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang 2018.