The biathlon world is bracing for a significant shift as a remarkable contingent of decorated athletes, including multiple Olympic and World Champions, have announced their retirements following the conclusion of the 2025-26 season. This wave of departures signals the end of an era for many fan favorites and leaves a notable void in the sport’s upper echelon. Among the most prominent figures to hang up their rifles are Italian icon Dorothea Wierer and Germany’s recent World Cup overall winner, Franziska Preuss. Both athletes confirmed their decisions after the final mass start event of the Olympic season, marking a poignant farewell to the sport they have dominated for years.
This exodus extends beyond these marquee names, encompassing a diverse group of international athletes who have collectively amassed an impressive array of accolades, including numerous World Cup victories, World Championship titles, and Olympic medals. The timing of these retirements, following the pinnacle event of the Olympic Games, suggests a deliberate decision by these athletes to conclude their demanding careers at the highest stage.
A Season of Departures: Key Figures Announce Their Final Campaigns
The 2025-26 season has been a farewell tour for some of biathlon’s most recognizable stars. Franziska Preuss, a name synonymous with German biathlon success, has decided to step away from the sport after a stellar career that began with her World Cup debut in 2013. Over her tenure, Preuss has competed in an astounding 297 World Cup races, securing a place on the podium an impressive 57 times and achieving 15 individual victories. Her crowning achievement was the 2025 World Cup overall title, a testament to her consistent performance and resilience. She also claimed three discipline crystal globes in 2025: the mass start and sprint titles, along with a repeat of her 2015 mass start victory.
Preuss’s Olympic legacy includes two bronze medals, earned in the relay at the 2022 Games and the mixed relay at the 2026 Games. Her World Championship record is equally formidable, boasting 11 medals, including two gold. However, her success has come at a significant personal cost. Preuss has openly discussed the extreme demands of elite biathlon, revealing a monastic lifestyle where she and her partner maintained a highly controlled environment, often limiting social interactions for months on end to optimize performance and minimize health risks. This "iron regime," as she described it, highlights the immense sacrifices required at the pinnacle of the sport.
Similarly, Dorothea Wierer, the charismatic Italian biathlete, is concluding her illustrious 17-year career on the World Cup circuit. With 16 major championship medals to her name, Wierer has been a consistent presence at the top for nearly two decades. The 36-year-old Italian has four Olympic medals from four different Olympic Games, with her most recent Olympic appearance culminating in a silver medal at her home venue in Anterselva during the recent winter season. Her World Championship haul includes four gold medals, and she has achieved 23 World Cup victories. Wierer is a two-time overall World Cup champion, having secured the prestigious title in both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. Since her debut in the 2009 season, Wierer has participated in a remarkable 440 World Cup races, solidifying her status as one of the sport’s enduring legends.
A Long Goodbye: Veterans Take Their Final Bow
The trend of seasoned athletes retiring is further amplified by the departure of Austrian veteran Simon Eder. At 43 years old, Eder is concluding a career spanning over two decades on the World Cup circuit. His participation in 560 World Cup races is the most by any athlete in the sport’s history, a testament to his longevity and dedication. He has stood on the podium 42 times, achieving seven victories. Eder’s Olympic record includes two medals, both in relays, and he has secured five World Championship medals, including four silvers and three bronzes. His presence on the circuit has been a constant, and his retirement marks the end of an era for Austrian biathlon.
From Slovakia, Paulína Bátovská Fialková and Anastasia Kuzmina are also bidding farewell to elite competition. Kuzmina, 41, made a notable comeback in 2024 with the explicit goal of competing in the 2026 Olympics, her final competitive hurrah. Throughout her career, Kuzmina has been a formidable force, known for her explosive skiing and pinpoint accuracy. Fialková, 33, has also enjoyed a successful career, often battling for podium positions and contributing significantly to Slovakia’s team efforts.
The National Impact: Norwegian Stars Also Depart
The retirement wave is also impacting the Norwegian biathlon team, with prominent athletes Vetle Rype Paulsen and Marit Ishol Skogan announcing their departures. Paulsen, at just 25 years old, is retiring after what has been described as the best season of his career, a decision that has surprised many within the sport. Skogan, 27, also leaves at a relatively young age, suggesting that personal motivations or a desire for new challenges are driving these decisions.
Other Norwegian athletes stepping away include Martin Femsteinevik and Harald Øygard. Øygard achieved a fitting send-off, securing a bronze medal in the relay at the Norwegian National Championships in his very last race as an active competitor. The recent NM relay event at Os served as the final competition for all these Norwegian athletes.
A Global Phenomenon: Comprehensive List of Retirements
The list of athletes concluding their careers after the 2025-26 Olympic season is extensive and underscores the significant transition occurring within international biathlon:
Bulgaria
- Vladimir Iliev (39)
Canada
- Daniel Gilfillan (21)
France
- Antonin Guigonnat (34)
- Mathieu Garcia (23)
Italy
- Danielle Capellari (29)
- Denise Planker (23)
- Dorothea Wierer (36)
Japan
- Mikito Tachizaki (37)
Lithuania
- Tomas Kaukenas (35)
Norway
- Marit Ishol Skogan (27)
- Vetle Rype Paulsen (25)
- Harald Øygard (29)
- Martin Femsteinevik (29)
Slovakia
- Paulína Bátovská Fialková (33)
- Anastasia Kuzmina (41)
Slovenia
- Kaja Maric (22)
Switzerland
- Susanna Meinen (33)
Sweden
- Anton Ivarsson (25)
- Oskar Olsson (30)
Germany
- Johannes Kühn (34)
- Franziska Preuss (32)
USA
- Paul Schommer (33)
- Jake Brown (34)
Austria
- Simon Eder (43)
- Lisa Theresa Hauser (32)
- Julia Leitinger (ex. Schwaiger) (30)
Implications and the Future of Biathlon
The retirement of such a prominent group of athletes presents both challenges and opportunities for the sport of biathlon. On one hand, the departure of established stars creates a vacuum in terms of established rivalries, fan engagement, and the general narrative of the sport. The consistent performances and magnetic personalities of athletes like Wierer and Preuss have drawn significant attention to biathlon, and their absence will undoubtedly be felt. The influx of younger talent will need time to mature and establish their own legacies to fill this void.
However, this transition also heralds an exciting new chapter. The sport has a rich pipeline of emerging talent, and the retirements will provide increased opportunities for these athletes to step into the spotlight. The careers of Paulína Bátovská Fialková and Anastasia Kuzmina from Slovakia, for instance, have inspired many, and their departure opens doors for the next generation of Slovakian biathletes. Similarly, the performances of young athletes like Daniel Gilfillan from Canada and Kaja Maric from Slovenia will be closely watched as they are poised to take on greater responsibility within their national teams.
The physical and mental toll of elite biathlon is immense, as evidenced by Preuss’s description of her rigorous lifestyle. The demanding training schedules, constant travel, and pressure to perform at the highest level require extraordinary dedication and resilience. For many, the decision to retire represents a desire for a different quality of life, more time with family, or the pursuit of new personal and professional endeavors.
The coming seasons will be crucial for biathlon federations worldwide to identify and nurture new talent, ensuring the sport’s continued growth and appeal. The legacy of these retiring champions will serve as a powerful inspiration for aspiring biathletes, while their departures will undoubtedly reshape the competitive landscape of biathlon for years to come. The sport will miss their presence, their rivalries, and their unforgettable moments on the snow, but the enduring spirit of competition and the promise of new stars rising will ensure biathlon remains a captivating spectacle.
