Which superstar athlete is your dream sports ticket?
With only world-class athletes knowing what it takes to compete at the elite level, we have asked six biathletes for which colleague - be it in biathlon or any other sport - they would buy tickets to see them perform live. The King of Roland Garros, this year's Giro d'Italia winner, F1 driver and an NBA star found themselves in the mix with biathlon names.
But, who are they?
Anastasiya Merkushyna: Kati Wilhelm
Anastasiya Merkushyna, winner in the Sprint at the IBU Open European Championships Lenzerheide 2023, stayed within the Biathlon family, picking a former superstar from Germany.
”Hard question, I see all of them for the whole winter 🤪 but if I could, I would buy to see Kati Wilhelm 😎.”
Vincent Bonacci: Campbell Wright
With an all-in mentality, Campbell Wright endeared himself to many biathlon fans. Wright already trained with the US team for the past couple of seasons and shared the podium with Maxime Germaine as they finished first (Wright) and third (Germaine) in the junior men's Sprint at the IBU Youth & Junior World Championships Shchuchinsk 2023. Vincent Bonacci picked Wright (who is set to start for the USA in the future) for his fearless spirit.
”I would buy a ticket to see Campbell Wright. He always goes as hard as he can in races, so to watch him race, I will always see something entertaining happen because he is taking risks on the range and skis.”
Lena Repinc: Primož Roglič
Slovenia's most outstanding talent Lena Repinc expressed her admiration for Primož Roglič, who won Giro d'Italia 2023 in a dramatic fashion. Roglič, also a triple Vuelta winner, and Repinc work with the same mental strength coach Klemen Kobal.
”Okay, so I gave it quite a bit of thought. And I have now decided on Primož Roglič. I love cycling and admire how much preparation goes into one race, how it’s actually a team sport but not really because only one is the winner, and how a human body is capable of handling such extremes. And Primož Roglič represents someone who truly never gives up, which is one of the characteristics an athlete must have. He also had a terrible crash as a ski jumper and then switched to cycling, which is a very dangerous sport as well. This for me shows that fear cannot hold you back if you don’t let it. I have huge respect for that!🙌 When he won the Olympic medal and now Giro d’Italia I felt so incredibly happy for him! Seeing him win live one day would be incredible🥇”
Olli Hiidensalo: Lauri Markkanen
Lauri Markkanen had a breakthrough season in the NBA in 2022/2023. With 25.6 points per game, he not only impressed Olli Hiidensalo, but also topped the Utah Jazz's list of scorers. Markkanne used his 213 centimetres to his advantage as he registered 8.3 rebounds per game, more than any other Utah player. His stellar performance week-in-week-out brought him participation at the NBA All-Star game. Markkanen was also voted the Most Improved Player in the NBA in 2022/2023.
”I have never seen an NBA game, and cos we have now a world-class player there, I have to say Lauri Markkanen. And, of course, Utah Jazz's home game!”
Dunja Zdouc: Rafael Nadal
Believing he can stage another stunning comeback in 2024, Dunja Zdouc picked the 14-time French Open winner, the Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal.
”There are so many impressive athletes, it‘s hard to pick just one 🙉💁🏻♀️ but maybe then I would go for Nadal. Especially now when he has some struggles to go through because I believe he will come back to the court super strong, and I think it would be more than interesting taking an eye on him and his team working for that goal.”
Johannes Dale: Charles Leclerc
Currently seventh in the F1 2023 Driver Standings, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc from Monaco is the athlete Johannes Dale would like to see speeding around one of the 23 Grand Prix courses. Johannes, who relies on his body to thrive in biathlon, is fascinated by the technical aspects of F1.
”I would buy a ticket to watch Charles Leclerc racing in formula one! It’s a dream of mine to go watch a formula one race and see my favourite team, Ferrari. I’m really fascinated by all the aspects of formula one. The technology, the speed, and the dedication to improve are fascinating!”
Pictures: IBU Photopool + santinovchphoto.com, Formatoriginal - stock.adobe.com
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