Biathlon: "I have no desire to play hide and seek!"

No Desire to Play Hide and Seek!

Vanessa Voigt was among the top eight biathletes in the world last season, but she experienced a "mental breakdown" shortly thereafter. In an interview with SPORT1, the 27-year-old shares how she overcame her mental struggles, her new goals, and why she is referred to as the 'grandma' of her team.

Everything seems perfect in this glossy world of sports, with biathletes covering hundreds of kilometers on trails each season and traveling thousands of kilometers to become the best in their sport. Bright smiles adorn the winners' podium, while others stand disappointed nearby.

But what happens when all this no longer works? Not because of poor performance or physical limitations but due to a lack of mental stability?

Voigt now knows what it feels like. As Germany's best biathlete last season, the Thüringen native highlighted her drained condition during the summer months. "The last weeks have been anything but productive. To be honest: very tough. Some call it a 'mental breakdown'; I call it a reason to protect myself," she wrote in an open Instagram post, providing a deep insight into her psyche.

Athletes Rush from Goal to Goal

"What many don't see is the person Vanessa. A human being who forgets to add salt while cooking, colors her wardrobe, or prefers using a spoon instead of a knife for a Nutella jar. And that person wasn’t well," she commented further. "As an athlete, one rushes from goal to goal." There’s hardly time to breathe, and it has been incredibly difficult for her to accept that she can no longer muster the energy for her great passion.

Months later, at the annual clothing fitting for athletes conducted by the German Ski Association in Nuremberg, SPORT1 spoke exclusively with the top athlete about her mental struggles and her determination to look towards a sporting future. After all, the new world cup season kicks off on November 30 in the Single-Mixed Relay in Kontiolahti, Finland.

No Desire for Games of Hide and Seek

"I am a very direct person; I simply say what I think or feel. I have no desire for games of hide and seek," Voigt reflected on her post, which received much recognition in the sports community.

Voigt continued: "I believe that the topic of mental health is very important in sports, and that's why I wanted to say: ‘Okay, the perfect athlete doesn’t exist all the time.’"

So how did this self-reflection lead to such a moment? Did Voigt hold herself to unreasonable standards in the world of professional sports? Was the pressure too great? "Of course, I am very hard on myself, but I believe that this is exactly why I am where I am. If I didn't constantly set myself new goals and maybe even a little too high, I would take it easier and not approach it so focused," Voigt clarified with SPORT1.

Free Time is Beneficial

The first step towards a reset was actually quite simple: just take a break! "I seem to have forgotten myself a bit. I believe that my time off has done me a lot of good because I was simply not athlete Vanessa but just a person. I was just a sister, a daughter, a friend," Voigt described.

After that, it was about finding the right balance between demanding from oneself while paying attention to one’s own well-being: "I think I’ve found a good balance now, being self-critical but not too much."

Because the ambition is something that no coach instills in her—not the fans, and not even her family: "My inner drive tells me that I want and need an individual medal!"

The Individual Medal is the Goal

This refers to the upcoming biathlon world championships, being held for the first time in Switzerland, in mid-February in Lenzerheide. "You work hard all year, and of course, a team medal is fantastic, but an individual medal simply shows again what you've been fighting for all this time and what you've worked hard for. That’s still missing a little from my collection."

The gleam in her eyes reveals the passion ignited again when collecting the 50 to 60 items in Nuremberg for the new season. Voigt is even thinking one step further: "We realized in our training that we are already at an age where the younger ones call us grandmas."

At just 27, she is still in the prime of the biathlon age, but following the early retirement of outstanding athletes like Magdalena Neuner and Laura Dahlmeier, a kind of "better early than late" mentality seems to have taken hold in Germany. "I definitely don’t feel old, but you can tell that time is running out and that you can’t do this sport forever," Voigt said.

"That’s why the Olympic Games are already in focus!" Cortina d’Ampezzo and Milan will co-host them in 2026. Vanessa Voigt aims to compete for individual medals at the world’s largest multisport event on the most fascinating of all stages, with an unparalleled sheen—provided her mind is in the right place.