Biathlon, there are ten Azzurri for Milan Cortina 2026
Ten will be the members of the Italian biathlon team for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan Cortina. The Italian Winter Sports Federation announced on Monday the summonses, a total of five men and as many women, who will represent Italy at the Antholz-Anterselva Biathlon Arena, the venue for all Olympic competitions in the discipline. The group has been built around the most reliable names in the movement, not forgetting a few young performers at the level of the discipline.
The men’s team will consist of Patrick Braunhofer, Tommaso Giacomel, Lukas Hofer, Nicola Romanin and Elia Zeni. An ambitious quintet that combines Hofer’s international experience, a staple of the Italian biathlon for more than a decade, with the steady growth of Giacomel and Zeni, who are now steadily competitive in the World Cup, where the men are also picking up important results in recent years. Braunhofer and Romanin complete a balanced team, which promises to be competitive in all races.
As for the women, Italy will feature Hannah Auchentaller, Michela Carrara, Rebecca Passler, Lisa Vittozzi and Dorothea Wierer. Vittozzi and Wierer are the two most experienced names and represent the technical core of the team, as well as the highest hopes of medaling, while Passler and Auchentaller have shown significant growth in recent seasons. Carrara adds depth and solidity, forming a competitive quintet in all specialties from sprint to mass start.
The Olympic biathlon competition calendar opens Sunday, Feb. 8, with the mixed 4×6 km relay. Tuesday 10 is scheduled for the men’individual 20 km, followed Wednesday 11 by the women’s individual 15 km. Friday 13 is space for the men’s 10 km sprint, while Saturday, Feb. 14 is the women’s 7.5 km sprint.
On Sunday, Feb. 15, the pursuits are held instead: 12.5 km men’s race, 10 km women’s. Tuesday, Feb. 17, is the day of the men’s 4×7.5 km relay, while Wednesday, Feb. 18, the women’s 4×6 km relay is run. Friday, Feb. 20, is the men’s 15-kilometer mass start, followed by the women’s 12.5-kilometer mass start on Saturday, Feb. 21, which will close the program.
