Amy Baserga has lost her much-vaunted accuracy at the home World Championships in Lenzerheide. She was also unable to shake off her nervousness in the single mixed relay.
20.02.2025, 19:07
20.02.2025, 20:55
SDA
It might have been too cheesy. Children's photos of Amy Baserga and Niklas Hartweg posing together with a rifle at the age of eleven or twelve made the rounds in the media. Now aged 24, the two Schwyz residents from Einsiedeln and Wollerau could have been crowned heroes at home in Lenzerheide, bringing Switzerland its first ever biathlon world championship medal.
And it would have been possible, as Baserga also knew after the race. However, the master markswoman, the number 2 in this part of the biathlon in the World Cup season so far, weakened in her showpiece discipline of all things. She had to reload seven times in the single-mixed relay, losing the decisive seconds.
Full grandstands as an incentive and handicap
"Our ambition was extremely high, so logically I'm a little disappointed now," Baserga analyzed after another 4th place at this World Championships. She actually had good prerequisites. She had even taken over from Hartweg as the leader for her second and final relay. "I was actually pretty happy, so I could do my thing a bit." In other words, she didn't have to push herself to the absolute limit on the cross-country ski run.
But she couldn't shake off her nervousness. "I was shaking all over," said the athlete, who usually says she is never nervous. "Even during the break. I'm usually good at slowing down." What's more, the lap was so short and hardly had a quiet section. "That increases the lactate extremely." Combined with the many spectators (8,600), this ensured that she never found the necessary calm. Baserga was able to limit the damage without a penalty loop, but in the end it wasn't enough for an exploit.
"But it was also extremely nice," Baserga also found the positive aspects. "I would never have thought that so many people would come on a Thursday in Switzerland." Niklas Hartweg agrees. "It was really fun. The stadium was packed and I was even able to take the lead at times."
Enough of 4th places
He was "pretty satisfied" with his race. He had attacked and the disappointment was limited. Of course, he did not blame his partner. "We have run many good races together. And I think her performance today was also good." With a bit of gallows humor, Hartweg said: "Perhaps we have a somewhat thankless consistency."
However, he remains confident: "We've been unlucky a few times now, but I don't see why we shouldn't have luck on our side a few times in the future." Or as Amy Baserga puts it: "Now we have enough 4th places as a Swiss team. Maybe it will work out on Saturday (in the relay) or next year at the Olympics. And with a glance at the still full spectator stands, she says: "We have definitely sparked biathlon fever in Switzerland."
