Reflecting on his big season he admitted, “It is like when something magic is happening; you do not know the reason. I just think I found a good flow between my ski speed and my shooting. That and of course, hard training is the key…and a bit of luck, of course.”

Coach’s advice, “You have to enjoy”

The big breakthrough started in the Hochfilzen pursuit where, “I felt good. Before that, I was shooting poorly despite feeling physically pretty good. I was really confident after feeling good in the sprint, better in the relay (shooting clean) and then with 18 down of 20 you have the chance to deliver a good race.” That gave him sixth place and his first Flower Ceremony.

That turnaround to his season came in the form of some good advice from his coach. “He talked to me after Kontiolahti. I was skiing strong but shooting bad. He knew it was just a problem in my head. It was nothing about the technique of other stuff. The day before we went to Hochfilzen, he called into his room and said, ‘You have to enjoy. You are not in a war. Biathlon should not be a stress for you.’ It opened my mind with another view of the sport.” As the saying goes, “The rest is history.”

All season long, Giacomel was in a tight battle for the Blue Bib (under 25) with Niklas Hartweg eventually winning by 18 points. “It was fun racing with it, but it was really not my focus. I was more focused on podiums and medals. Winning it would have been cool but I cannot be disappointed with my season.”

Consistency on the Range

Even after his significant performance uptick last season, Giacomel still has things to work on, especially on the range. “It is mostly about the approach to shooting. Last season gave me a lot of confidence. In past years, there were a lot of ups and downs in my shooting but this summer, it was much more stable almost every day. Consistency is the key… I have managed to shoot zero in a sprint, but not yet in a four-stage, so that is one of those small goals.”

The budding Italian star confirmed that reaching his current level has been a learning process. “When I was a junior, I focused only on biathlon and I was wrong. There is more than biathlon in life, many other things. Now in my spare time, I try to shift my focus, do other things. If you think only about biathlon, you will have a mental burnout, sooner or later.”

“I love tennis”

Stepping away from biathlon, sports remain a big part of Giacomel’s life.

“I love tennis. I have been watching the US Open; had some sleepless nights! It is different from biathlon but not so much. It is a mental game like biathlon. Technically all of us are able to shoot zero. In tennis, everyone has good forehands, good backhands and service, but it is a mental game; execution at certain times is key.”

“Life is more than biathlon”

Beyond the eat, train, sleep, repeat routine, “I live with my girlfriend now and I have discovered a lot. Like just going out to walk the dog. going out with friends, playing cards. There are a lot of things to do; life is more than biathlon.”

Tommaso Giacomel describes himself as “chill and relaxed,” but admitted he has one big fault. “I am really messy in everything away from biathlon. In biathlon, I am really organized, but away I am disorganized and my girlfriend hates it!”