Anna Gandler: "I already thought about quitting this summer"
The 25-year-old biathlete has detached herself from the ÖSV's training plans - and raves about her preparation in France.
Injuries and illnesses characterized Anna Gandler's past years and thus prevented the Austrian biathlete from achieving her big breakthrough.
In addition, there was also a shake-up within the ÖSV this year: Lisa Hauser, the figurehead of the women's team, ended her career, and there was also a reshuffle in the coaching team. Women's head coach Reinhard Gösweiner resigned, with Germans now calling the shots instead >>>
Anna Gandler was not thrilled by the many changes and decided that she no longer wanted to train with the ÖSV. "I already thought about quitting this summer," she now tells "Krone".
Gandler raves about preparation
She didn't do it after all. Instead, she completed one of the best preparations of her career outside of the ÖSV. "I've never been so healthy throughout my preparation," she raves.
She spent most of her preparation in France. "The main reason was certainly my boyfriend Emilien (Editor's note: Claude). After five years of a long-distance relationship, I wanted to try something, a kind of year abroad."
Her father Markus created the training plans, while her boyfriend Emilien, himself a world-class biathlete, sometimes acted as her private coach.
The new constellation already seemed to be bearing fruit: She took second place at a show event in Dresden and at the French championships. While she doesn't want to overstate these results, her expectations for the coming winter are high: "A podium is my goal."
