Although just 20 years old, Germany’s Selina Grotian made her mark in biathlon in the junior and IBU Cup ranks and with each competition gets closer some big World Cup results.

Grotian has the credentials to become a big star: four Gold medals at the 2023 IBU YJWCH, 4th place in the Women’s 15 km Individual in her first-ever IBU WCH, later winning WCH Women’s Relay Bronze before closing the season with four top 15 finishes in the North American World Cups.

During a break between training sessions at a recent camp, the bubbly Grotian chatted about how she starts her week.

Biathlonworld: What time do you wake up on Mondays and what is the first thing you do after waking up?

Selina Grotian: 6:15 and then breakfast. That is the most important part of the day.

BW: What is the first app you look at in the morning?

SG: My wellness app to check my sleep, pulse etc.

BW: What makes your breakfast routine perfect?

SG: I always eat porridge. I really like to cook so there is always a different flavor. I like a lot of variations, but my favorite is normal porridge with protein powder like stracciatella with blueberries, and chocolate pieces on top. I really love chocolate!

BW: Does your early morning regime include, yoga, stretching, a jog or some form of mental preparation?

SG: No. I do not like to do this in the morning. I do this in the afternoon or evening but not in the morning. In the morning, I have to just be with myself.

BW: Is your backpack packed and ready every day or do you throw everything in at the last minute?

SG: I am really a planning person, so it is always packed.

BW: What is the biggest thing that you arrived at training and realized you forgot?

SG: (Laughing) My weapon, but I have also forgot to load all four magazines for a summer training race, a pursuit, then started a second too early so everything happened that day! It was my worst day, but it will never happen again.

BW: Do you have a mental checklist that you go through every morning?

SG: Not really, I am very calm in my mind, so everything is tidied up, very organized. I think if I was thinking so much about it, there would be more pressure.

BW: Do you consider yourself a perfectionist when it comes to training?

SG: Not really; when I try to make everything go perfectly, it always gets worse. So, I just go with the flow. But in competition, I am really in my zone and do not think too much.

BW: Beyond your training log, do you keep a journal or meditate to keep your world in order?

SG: I have a book where I write everything down and in my training log. As for today which was not my best, I have not written anything yet, but it will not be good! That is good because normally there are not so many days like this one.

BW: What piece of advice guides you in how you approach training every day?

SG: Stay focused on myself: what feels good, my goal for the day, and doing what makes this fun. Without fun, this does not work.

BW: At the end of the day, what do you do to calm down?

SG: I do some yoga, put on my recovery boots and enjoy the time at home with my family and with my dog.

BW: What is the biggest thing you cannot live without?

SG: My family and my dog.

BW: Are you a picky eater or do you eat everything?

SG: I eat everything, well not everything, but everything on my plate. I hate it when people leave food, because it is a waste of food. So, I try to eat everything.

BW: What is the hardest part of being a professional biathlete?

SG: Making every day fun, because not every day is good. Just stay focused and keep your goals in mind. The mental thing is the hardest part of being a professional biathlete.

BW: What is something very few people know about you?

SG: That I am a really calm person that does not talk so much. But with the right people I can be really funny and do a lot of fun things.

BW: What project is on your “to do” list when you get home from this camp?

SG: It is a lot…I have to reorganize my training after this camp, a lot of appointments (with sponsors,)a photo shoot and I have to go to the dentist!

Photos: IBU/ Christian Manzoni, Vianney Thibaut, Jerry Kokesh