The 30-year Magdalena Neuner, the supernova that changed the biathlon

Today Magdalena Neuner turns 30 and at the same time start the World Cup biathlon, an event in which he opened and closed the circle of his career. Given the occasion, joined at the beginning of the World Championship event, then you should plan a reflection on what has been the Bavarian for the modern biathlon.

Wednesday 8 February 2017 18 minutes reading time

Looking back with a cool head and rationalizing all shudder to observe carefully the true weight was by the German during the eight years between 2004-2012. Someone will ask, "Why since 2004 when he made his debut in the World Cup in 2006 alone?" Because everything starts January 28, 2004, the day when the youth World Cup in Haute Marienne. A Magdalena even seventeen wins the sprint of the junior category with two errors and 40 "ahead of the second - her compatriot Kathrin Lang - taking the lead to abysmal opponents four years older. Between them that Jenny Adler almost twenty considered until the day before the future of the German biathlon, joke instead of 1'30 "for the same penalties as a little girl of four younger springs that should still participate for a couple of winters to evidence of 'lower class youth! On 28 January 2004 a supernova explodes. The supernova Neuner. The first area to be invested is obviously that of the German biathlon. With this performance all internal hierarchies are sent into crisis. We are coming to the home World Cup in Oberhof and the situation is not very rosy. All the big team do not sail in good water. Kati Wilhelm and Andrea Henkel are in big trouble, Martina Glagow and Kathrin Apel you are not reinventing the levels of the previous season and the "old" Uschi Disl appears in slow but inexorable decline. In Germany you start to discuss the possibility of bringing the teenager to world championship event. Make it really mean to deny the system - because he had not yet competed in the World Cup, Lena not the minimum set by the federation to be called - and above all it would mean dealing a severe blow to the whole psychological movement, as a medium tide of athletes / high profile would be seen overridden by a terrible girl, who also would risk upsetting even the stars of the team, as it would automatically be challenged by a seventeen year old. Urge stop for a moment and rationalize the situation. It is as if nowadays a girl born in 2000 will prove superior to all those born from 1996 onwards, putting upside down the plans of today's Germany. Indeed, this parallelism does not make even the whole idea because Germany today is not that of 2004. Dahlmeier aside, there is nothing close to Wilhelm, to Henkel, the Glagow and displ. With all due respect to the various Hildebrand, Hinz, Hammerschmidt and PreuÃŸ. In the end, given the uncertainties in the standing shooting (Lena will eat gold in pursuit champion juniors with an unfortunate "three" last session just in favor of Adler, however perfect on the shooting range), you opt not to demolish the hierarchies. Female Germany gets a satisfactory booty in Oberhof (3 silver and 1 bronze) and all happy. But you can not stop a force of nature and the supernova Neuner above starts burning everything in its path. Every German biathlete came to light from 1981 onwards is pulverized psychologically by the overwhelming power of Wallgau phenomenon. Seeing himself humiliated by the Bavarian young and free outlet in the World Cup, in a few years nearly all the rifle hanging on a nail without even bloom (see Adler above). "Survive" only Kathrin Lang, that Lena is the best friend and who has the talent to rimanerle in the slipstream, and those with child prodigies do not come into confrontation. For example, the winner of Nadine Horchler mass start in Antholz three weeks ago by junior has never found a place in the international arena, as he had in front of several girls much more listed. All swept away. For the same reason the same Franziska Hildebrand, now among the top ten in the world, struggling to earn their place in the most important youth contexts. No coincidence that the German biathlon will live a difficult time at the beginning of the current decade, precisely because of the "generation gap" has arisen, just sewed up with the arrival of born in the '90s. Meanwhile Neuner arrives at the World Cup and its shock wave also affects the maximum circuit. In this sense, the 2007 sprint in Antholz World Cup is emblematic, because Lena to win on execution time to the much faster polygon than those of Anna Carin Olofsson, who has beaten the 14 "on skis, but has transferred 15 "into firing speed. It is now clear as the German both the evolution of the species, a step forward in the competitiveness being able to excel in three out of four components (speed skiing, precision ground and the ground speed of execution). Only the gaps in the standing shooting its failure to establish an absolute rule, but the message to the world is clear: either you evolve, or you die. Some people are able to raise the bar velocizzandosi in pitch and who's not. So the supernova pushes Neuner to retire those who can not keep up with the times. Female athletes of the caliber of Kati Wilhelm, Sandrine Bailly, Olga Medvedtseva and Anna Carin Olofsson - all capable of writing the story at the beginning of the XXI century - become outdated coup. There are those who understand and prefer to close earlier than planned his career (the Russian and the German did not make mystery) and who still drags on, without being able to affect. Meanwhile, like any self-respecting supernova, also it was sighted at light years away. The popularity of Lena goes out of scope biathlon enthusiasts, who already was gaining consensus, and get visibility in the general public. She is to exponentially accelerate the transformation of the discipline by a mass phenomenon niche sports process, in Germany and beyond. On balance the new star did not miss a beat. At the first World Cup coming soon 2 gold. The conquest of absolute Crystal Ball aged juniors in only his second full season and especially in Vancouver, Olympic debut, is a definitive confirmation by double gold. Young, successful, good-looking and with the air of the "girl next door". The mixture is perfect and in fact at home becomes popular. So come housed in television programs or even participate as a guest star in the telenovela "Storm of Love". To find something similar among the Teutonic sports you need to bother Steffi Graf. What's more, the presence of the Bavarian detonates the interest around the female sector that comes to overshadow that of men. Biathlon becomes unique in the global sports landscape, generally very "macho". Think of the glaring contrast to viewers (and media coverage) between the two genders in football, hockey, in golf and rugby. In disciplines such as athletics and swimming however there is equitable attention, but certainly not more than for girls. But Magdalena is really the "girl next door", not only has the look. The spotlight does not like and has never had an atavistic hunger for success (in 2008 had declared that his career would not go beyond 2014). In truth, if the World Cup of 2012 had not been in Ruhpolding, in his Bavaria, he would have hung skiing and rifle to the nail even after Vancouver. The only goal yet to be achieved is the gold world champion on home snow and in December 2011 comes the fateful announcement: "This will be my last season." It is no coincidence that his 2011-'12 is strange, different from all previous vintages. With a physical already weighed down by some kilograms too still managed to win and to hold off the best Darya Domracheva of ever finding the tranquility at standing shooting that had always lacked. The domination of narrow skis became more bland, but found other weapons to win. While sailing towards the third Crystal ball over five years (four were not repeated previous winter illnesses) by following a completely different path than before the question arises: "What has become Magdalena Neuner and above all, what could have been really?" The answer is providing herself March 3, 2012, in the World Championship sprint in Ruhpolding. Domracheva closes a faultless race for the first time this season. Lena is going strong on skis, but not so fast that he could afford a penalty turn. He knows he needs to zero even dreaded polygon standing. He arrives in pitch with thousands of eyes on her, with unimaginable pressure on the shoulders and with the knowledge to have an opportunity perhaps unique. How many times the precision has failed in very difficult situations? The specter of the debacle in the mass start in Antholz in 2009, when he arrived at the last shooting range with a minute ahead and missed five times, is always around the corner. At that moment in Ruhpolding trembling it would be understandable. It would be humane. Instead Magdalena, perhaps for the first time in his career, shows an unusual face. Start shooting and apparently a car. In 9/2 it covers all targets with an unreal security. The fifth Ruhpolding center is shaken by thunder. It is the roar of the audience, an eyewitness to an event that has the supernatural. What is the one shooting session? Mohammed Ali who had been put K.O. George Foreman in Kinshasa. Was Michael Jordan who steals the ball from Karl Malone in the match-6 of the 1998 NBA Finals to go to mark the goal of victory with four seconds left. Will Roger Federer comeback in the fifth set of the final of the Australian Open in 2017. It will be the last quarter of a Tom Brady in the Superbowl Sunday. It declares, "I am the greatest" for the last time, without appeal to others. The time at which this phrase is no longer an opinion, but turns into a matter of fact. In the case of the Bavarian But it is something more. The point of contact between what was and what might have been. Probably because the REAL Lena has only seen that day and, if he decided to devote his life to the sport rather than the family, we probably would have seen a scary domain. To provide a picture of Neuner supernova, we think that in the time of his retirement he was still the youngest athlete to ever win in the World Cup. No born after she has set up in the circuit until it remained in business. A fact unprecedented in the history of any sport that summarizes better than any other data than was anomalous and above average his talent. A talent that has literally allowed to change the biathlon. In the space of eight years has annihilated a generation of countrymen, forced the enemy to dramatically accelerate development already underway, it has permanently transformed the discipline into a mass phenomenon due to its popularity and, until it fell on the track, made the most interesting female than the male sector. Like a supernova has reshaped the environment, leaving behind a period of stasis pending the formation of a new star, which for the moment does not even see the embryo. Greetings Magdalena, and returns of the day. You all deserve it, because you were truly unique. And perhaps unique.

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