Winter Olympics 2026: Retiring biathlon greats Dorothea Wierer and Franziska Preuss share emotional lap of honour after final race at Games
Updated 21/02/2026 at 18:35 GMT
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Dorothea Wierer and Franziska Preuss had both announced that this Winter Olympics would be their last, which meant the women’s 12.5km mass start on Saturday was their final Olympic race. Afterwards, the pair shared an emotional lap of honour while fans cheered them on. Watch every event of Milano Cortina 2026 live on discovery+. Available across all subscription plans, starting at £3.99.
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Italian Dorothea Wierer and German Franziska Preuss shared an emotional lap of honour after their final Winter Olympics race on Saturday, with both retiring after this year’s Games.
The two legends of biathlon had previously announced that they would be hanging up their skis, poles and rifles after the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games.
Their final race was the women’s 12.5km mass start at the Antholz-Anterselva Biathlon Arena - Wierer’s home track.
And the Italian’s familiarity with the track continued to pay off as she finished fifth, 30 seconds off eventual winner Oceane Michelon and 22.6 seconds short of the bronze position.
Preuss, on the other hand, finished 28th out of the 30-competitor field, over three and a half minutes behind Michelon.
But in a day which was not about the result, there were emotional scenes after Preuss crossed the finish line, with the duo embracing and receiving loud applause from the fans.
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Dorothea Wierer and Franziska Preuss shared an emotional lap of honour
Image credit: Getty Images
They were handed the flags of their respective countries and, to the delight of all in attendance, came back down the home stretch to soak in the applause one more time.
As they made their way in front of the fans, a huge banner reading: "Danke, Grazie, Thank You" was unfurled, too.
Both Wierer and Preuss are stalwarts of the biathlon scene.
Wierer has featured at the past three Games, winning a bronze in each of them. And in her fourth and final Winter Olympics, the 35-year-old went one better, winning her first silver medal in the mixed relay.
She was also the first Italian woman to win a world title, something she has now achieved on four occasions. And she hopes to be an inspiration for the next generation.
"When I was a kid, I couldn't imagine that one day I would win the overall World Cup," she told Olympics.com in 2019. "We are only a few biathletes in Italy, but we have great passion. We always give it our all."
Preuss has two Winter Olympics bronze medals, having picked up her second in the mixed relay at Milano Cortina 2026.
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The 31-year-old is also a two-time world champion and currently holds the overall World Cup title.
The German announced that she would retire at the end of the season after struggling with injury and illness.
Watch every event of Milano Cortina 2026 live on discovery+. Available across all subscription plans, starting at £3.99.
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