Biathlon 2019 - 2020 Discussion Thread

[phelps 6,881]

Italian Biathlon is dead just before the most important event in its history (the home worlds, for the first time with reasonable ambition to win more medals)...

 

earlier today, in fact, Lisa Vittozzi released an interview to a local (to her) newspaper where she explicitly says that our coaches are the only responsible for her losing the overall world cup, because they favoured Wierer all the time, especially at the world champs, when they allowed Doro to miss the women's relay just 24 hours before her mass start triumph (which, according to Vittozzi, is a proof of the fact that Wierer wasn't sick at all, as they said to justify her absence from the relay)...

 

she also said that her and Doro are not friends at all, just members of the same NT, but fierce rivals, that they have nothing to share with each other and so on...

 

and Vittozzi's mom threw oil on the fire on her social media accounts...

 

perfect timing, I'd say...

 

to me, Vittozzi should be kicked out of the team immediately (at least until Doro is active and successful)...

 

this whole story reminds me the stupid feud between Di Francisca and Errigo in Fencing...it's really sad to see how every time we have more than one very competitive woman in the same team, sooner or later they're going to destroy everything around...

 

I'm really disappointed and annoyed by this farce...nothing's gonna be the same anymore when I watch women's Biathlon in terms of the Italian results perspective...

Edited February 6, 2020 by phelps

[heywoodu 13,560]

Wait what, what did Vittozzi do wrong here?

 

It's entirely, totally, completely unsurprising to think the coaches very much favored Wierer and did everything to make her win over Vittozzi...

 

And how is Vittozzi and Wierer being rivals instead of friends any sort of new revelation?  

Edited February 6, 2020 by heywoodu

[Monzanator 3,599]

It's rather obvious Vittozzi is jealous and this season she's been unable to perform to last season's standards.

 

To blow up a rant like that just before World Champs in your own country is very weak. I don't think she's gonna enjoy new fans anytime soon.

[phelps 6,881]

19 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

Wait what, what did Vittozzi do wrong here?

 

It's entirely, totally, completely unsurprising to think the coaches very much favored Wierer and did everything to make her win over Vittozzi...

 

And how is Vittozzi and Wierer being rivals instead of friends any sort of new revelation?  

 

well, if she had a bit of respect for herself, she should have said that immediately after the end of last season and put down the question in terms "me or them". point. and of course she should be ready to pay the prize for such statement.

 

and she should have made this argument with the coaches and the NF's officials, not by releasing an interview to friendly press, which makes her just a coward to most people's eyes...

 

then, in any case, she should have never chosen this moment to say anything...as now she clearly destroyed the whole team before the home worlds (which are absolutely the "superior Good" for a super-niche sport like Biathlon in italy)...

 

moreover, I just can give the real weight of the words she used...her accustations are really heavy and personal...there's no way people can continue working together after those words...

 

she completely missed timing and form of her "outing" (imho, she missed also the point, as it's not because she skied those 6kms on a given day if 2 weeks later she didn't even made the top 60 in the Oslo Sprint race, thus missing also the decisive mass start on the final day of that stage, forgetting that in an earlier stage of the world cup she was given a break on a relay race and Wierer had to do it in what probably was her worst weekend of last season)...

 

however, probably Italy and the Netherlands in this aspect are different, but here the team athmosphere is sacred...what Vittozzi did completely broke this rule and it's totally unacceptable...

[heywoodu 13,560]

34 minutes ago, phelps said:

 

well, if she had a bit of respect for herself, she should have said that immediately after the end of last season and put down the question in terms "me or them". point. and of course she should be ready to pay the prize for such statement.

 

and she should have made this argument with the coaches and the NF's officials, not by releasing an interview to friendly press, which makes her just a coward to most people's eyes...

 

then, in any case, she should have never chosen this moment to say anything...as now she clearly destroyed the whole team before the home worlds (which are absolutely the "superior Good" for a super-niche sport like Biathlon in italy)...

 

moreover, I just can give the real weight of the words she used...her accustations are really heavy and personal...there's no way people can continue working together after those words...

 

she completely missed timing and form of her "outing" (imho, she missed also the point, as it's not because she skied those 6kms on a given day if 2 weeks later she didn't even made the top 60 in the Oslo Sprint race, thus missing also the decisive mass start on the final day of that stage, forgetting that in an earlier stage of the world cup she was given a break on a relay race and Wierer had to do it in what probably was her worst weekend of last season)...

 

however, probably Italy and the Netherlands in this aspect are different, but here the team athmosphere is sacred...what Vittozzi did completely broke this rule and it's totally unacceptable...

 

Oh trust me, I know a thing or two about rather mediocre team atmosphere  

 

These top athletes...all we see is what they say publicly and what they do publicly. Who says she hasn't been fighting for a year, for two years, for three years even...just to get some simply equality within her team compared to everyone's oh so lovely Wierer, the perfect marketing girl for Italian biathlon? There is so much more going on than what we see publicly, it might have been bad timing by her (or on purpose maybe, if she has been trying for a long time), but I'm glad for her that apparently something that really needed to get out, got out.

 

I'm fairly sure Wierer will take all the glory again and not Vittozzi, but I'm very much hoping Vittozzi will upset her. I've never really been specifically a fan or not, but now I'm full-on #TeamVittozzi

Edited February 6, 2020 by heywoodu

[heywoodu 13,560]

1 hour ago, phelps said:

earlier today, in fact, Lisa Vittozzi released an interview to a local (to her) newspaper where she explicitly says that our coaches are the only responsible for her losing the overall world cup, because they favoured Wierer all the time, especially at the world champs, when they allowed Doro to miss the women's relay just 24 hours before her mass start triumph (which, according to Vittozzi, is a proof of the fact that Wierer wasn't sick at all, as they said to justify her absence from the relay)...

 

If true, which would be completely unsurprising, this would be such an incredibly shitty move from the coaches. It's like giving a big, fat middle finger straight in Vittozzi's face. But then again: Wierer gets them the sweet marketing money and everyone will just drool on her social media photos and think Wierer is all fantastic, not a care in the world for the coaches.

[hckošice 13,267]

yay the Vitková vs Koukalová in Italian fashion gotta love women´s biathlon

[heywoodu 13,560]

30 minutes ago, hckosice said:

yay the Vitková vs Koukalová in Italian fashion gotta love women´s biathlon

 

Ah, Koukalova. The queen of holding up podium ceremonies because her makeup wasn't 'right' yet

[RobtheAggie 340]

The timing is what is perplexing to me.  Why right before the World Championship?  Do you think they both race the mixed relay?  What about the women's relay.  I think yes to both, but it will be an interesting side note.

[hckošice 13,267]

5 hours ago, heywoodu said:

 

Ah, Koukalova. The queen of holding up podium ceremonies because her makeup wasn't 'right' yet

 

Yeah, because Wierer is not famous for using tons of make up neither