Ondrej Moravec says goodbye to biathlon: "I think it's the right time to stop"

In the "home" stage of Nove Mesto, the 36-year-old Czech retired from competition, capable of winning nine medals in his career between the World Cup and the Olympics.

Monday 15 March 2021 5 minutes reading time

There are athletes who over the years have become true symbols of their nations. If one were to think of the Czech Republic of biathlon, the first name that would come to mind would be that of Onderj Moravec, born in '84, in the World Cup since January 2005, with a career full of satisfactions and impressive results behind him. Yesterday, on the Moravian snows of Nove Mesto, Moravec officially greeted the world of biathlon, at the end of the single mixed relay. A special and almost touching greeting, the one reserved for the thirty-six year old native of Usti nad Orlici, welcomed at the finish line by technicians and teammates, as well as by his splendid family; only the home crowd was missing, who would surely have paid a warm greeting to his favorite, grateful for all the results obtained during his splendid career. In a beautiful video published by IBU on its official website, Moravec explained the reasons for his farewell to competitive sports: "It is a difficult decision to choose the right moment to retire. For some seasons I have been struggling to prepare for 100 % in summer, also for family reasons (Moravec has two children, and yesterday after the finish he hugged his 5-year-old daughter in tears). I'm sorry not to be able to close my career in front of my audience, but I'm happy with what everyone has done this years." The Czech biathlete concluded with a reflection on his future and with the usual thanks: "Now I need to disconnect a bit from the world of sports: I will be a full-time dad. Tomorrow I promise we will meet again, but now I have I really need a break. I thank all those who have been close to me during my career: technicians, teammates, fans and above all my family; see you soon! " In the World Cup, on an individual level, the only victory came in the mass start in Oslo Holmenkollen, on March 3, 2013; he also collected six second places. In the relays came a victory in the Oestersund mixed race on 24 November 2013, along with three second places and four third places. Onderj Moravec was certainly an athlete of great events: at the Olympic Games in Sochi 2014 he was able to win two silvers (mixed relay and pursuit) and a bronze in the mass start. His world record is also excellent: gold in Kontiolahti 2015 in the mixed relay; silver in the mass start of Kontiolahti 2015 and in the individual of Hochfilzen 2017; bronze in the mixed relays of Nove Mesto 2013 and Anterselva 2020, in addition to that conquered in the individual of Kontiolahti 2015. The biathlon, after the retirement of Simon Schempp at the end of January, thus loses another World Cup veteran; in addition to his sporting skills (Moravec was one of the strongest biathletes on skis), his human qualities and his personality that led him to be appreciated by opponents and professionals will be missing in the race. A future as a coach of the Czech Republic would not be a utopia, who knows what he will decide in the future ...