"Big question mark": Top biathlete announces decision about career end
Created: 2023-01-02 16:47
By: Antonio Jose Riether
Career end of a biathlon veteran?
Due to stubborn injuries, Lukas Hofer wants to make a decision about his future as soon as possible.
Bruneck - Many athletes celebrate great success during the winter sports season, but some of them have to take a break in the cold months of all times.
It is usually injuries that slow athletes down.
The Italian biathlete Lukas Hofer can tell you a thing or two about it, the 33-year-old is plagued by serious injury problems.
Apparently these are so bad that Hofer will soon have to make a momentous decision about his career.
Luke Hofer |
Born: September 30, 1989 in Brunico (Italy) |
Olympic medals: 2 × bronze |
World Championship medals: 2 × silver, 2 × bronze |
World Cup victories: 6 |
Lukas Hofer: Biathlon star sees "a big question mark" over his further career
Hofer cannot take part in this year's Biathlon World Cup because the South Tyrolean's bad luck with injuries is too great.
The biathlete and paraglider pilot has been suffering from persistent tendinitis in his left tibia since November.
Due to the injury, he had to withdraw from the biathlon event in the FC Schalke 04 arena shortly before the turn of the year.
The veteran now spoke about his suffering and gave a not particularly optimistic outlook on his future career.
"Everything is a big question mark for me at the moment," Hofer told the Bolzano portal
sportnews.bz
.
He also disclosed that the background to his inflammation was not clear to him.
"I don't know what that came from.
Mountain runners or soccer players have it more often, but biathletes don't," said Hofer.
Lukas Hofer has already won medals at the Biathlon World Championships and the Olympic Games.
© Eibner-Pressefoto/imago
Lukas Hofer: Persistent injuries plague the biathletes
The Bruneck-born winter sports enthusiast also talked about his last attempts to return to training.
"In mid-December I tried to train lightly, but that didn't work," said Hofer, describing the severe setback.
The northern Italian is desperate: "Usually something like this goes away after six weeks, but in my situation we haven't found a solution yet."
Under the current circumstances, the two-time Olympic bronze medalist is unable to practice his sport.
He can't even put weight on his foot at the moment.
But the pain has not only accompanied Hofer since the tendinitis.
"For the last year and a half, something has always been missing," says Hofer, who suffered from a runner's knee in both legs in the summer.
end of career?
Biathlete Lukas Hofer wants to “make a decision in peace in the summer”
"All of these injuries are basically inflammations," summarizes the long-suffering Hofer, adding: "So my body is reacting to something, to what exactly, we have to find out." The 33-year-old goes even further and wants to decide soon how exactly it goes on with him.
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The four-time Olympic participant said: "I have to see if I can get the problem under control by the time of the World Championships in Oberhof
(beginning on February 8; editor's note)
." Hofer added: "And of course I have to we continue to think about what is still feasible in the future, what health permits.
In the summer I will make a decision in peace".
In a few months, Hofer could well end his career.
(ajr)
