This past weekend’s Pokljuka Single Mixed Relay was beyond special for Switzerland’s Aita Gasparin. It was the Swiss team’s first-ever World Cup relay win of any kind and the veteran of 259 World Cup starts first time atop the podium.

Aita, the youngest of three Gasparin sisters is one of the many unheralded biathletes who toil diligently for years, struggling to reach the World Cup podium, no less the top. Although on the podium three times in the Women’s Relay in the 2019/20 season with her sisters, Sunday’s win left her still “trembling in my whole body” some time after the finish. With just three competitions left in the 2024/25 season, Aita has several reasons to smile: the Single Mixed victory, a personal-best-tying 8th in the Antholz Pursuit, and a career best 87% on the range plus one to shed a tear, sister Elisa’s pending retirement.

24 hours after her World Cup win with Niklas Hartweg, Aita sat down on her way to Oslo, answered our Five Burning Questions, and told us about one of her favorite but simple things she will enjoy when returning home next week.

Biathlonworld: After so many years in biathlon, what did your first time atop the podium feel like?

Aita Gasparin: Of course it is an amazing feeling; I had to wait for that moment so much longer than many other athletes, so maybe the time it arrived is even more valuable than for others. Especially if it is a historic achievement for your own country!

BW: Was this victory a childhood dream come true or something you never really expected over the age of 30?

AG: Yes, sure! I imagined many wins and medals as a child, until I realised that it takes a lot to be on top of the world. It makes me very proud to have achieved it now.

BW: When you woke up on race day, did you feel like this race might be something special?

AG: It is always easier to answer that question after it actually happened. Still, I knew we would have a chance for the podium, even if it was my first single mixed relay where I was selected to race with team leader Niklas . So, I knew it was kind of a one-time shot for me. I am very happy that I made it count. But taking the victory was even bigger than I ever imagined!

BW: What were you thinking about when Niklas was shooting those last five standing shots?

AG: Well, that was a thriller! My entire body was shaking, and I was hundred times more nervous watching him than when I stood on lane number 1 myself (for the first time ever) to shoot. He had such a great vibe that day, that I fully trusted he could do it.

BW: You have been on quite a journey with your sisters, and Elisa now retiring, what will you always remember about those many years on the World Cup circuit?

AG: Wow so many! The highs and the lows are the things which are most present. Sports give so many emotions and make us all feel so much alive. But in the end it’s not only the journey itself, it’s the companionship and friendship in the team and internally which makes it all so precious.

Especially with Elisa I remember the three Women’s Relay podiums; those were goosebump moments and also historical for Switzerland.

Biathlonworld Bonus Question: The end of the season is just a week away, what are the first three things you will do when you get home?

AG: Haha! Well, sleeping in the own bed, cooking in the kitchen and meeting family and friends again are always great moments when coming home from being on the road.

More specifically, I have for sure, to water the plants, unpack some boxes from the post office and play the piano once I am home ☺️

One more that may sound weird, I love to drink the tap water. It tastes so different and good at home 😅😅

And…I will be very happy to not wear a mask and not panic whenever I see a sick person around me!

Aita Gasparin’s late career success is a tale of perseverance and the old adage, “Never give up.” Stay tuned, this story still has some chapters to be written!

Photos: IBU/ Christian Manzoni, Nordic Focus