Cross-country skier Lea Fischer is switching to biathlon

The 28-year-old considered the switch after the conclusion of last season and trained for the first time in May with the Swiss women’s biathlon World Cup team, as Swiss-Ski described the move in a press release. Following the trial period, both Lea Fischer and the coaching staff concluded that they should continue working together and make the switch permanent.

As a result, the athlete from Central Switzerland will join the Swiss-Ski biathlon team starting next season. She will complete her winter preparations alongside the women’s Training Group 1. She will carry her current A-team status from cross-country skiing over to the new discipline.

The endurance athlete already brings experience at the highest level to the table. She has competed in the Cross-Country World Cup 73 times to date and also represented Switzerland at the Olympic Games last February, where she competed in two events.

Several athletes in Switzerland and abroad have successfully switched between the two Nordic disciplines in recent years. Lydia Mettler is one of them. The Glarus native, who was then still named Lydia Hiernickel, also bid farewell to cross-country skiing four years ago and turned to biathlon. In the past World Cup season, she finished among the top 25 athletes twice.