THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE INTERNATIONAL BIATHLON ...

PERSONALITIES PersönlichkeitenVerena Bentele2010’s mostsuccessfulParalympicbiathleteErfolgreichste Biathletinauthor AutorinTanja OHLSON – GERIBU Communication AssistantIBU KommunikationsassistentinOriginal language GermanOriginalfassung Deutschder ParalympicsVerena Bentele won a total of five Gold medals duringthe Paralympic Winter Games 2010 in Vancouver. That’sone for every competition she competed in, three in CrossCountry skiing and two in Biathlon. Although blind sincebirth, the blindness does not seem to be a big obstacle forher as she flies around the tracks or hits one target afteranother.On the tracks her guide Thomas Friedrich is essentialfor this. He always runs slightly ahead of her and callsout, “hopp” with every step for her orientation. By callingout numbers from the upper part of the clock he explainsturns. “He’s only allowed to help me on the tracks, not atthe shooting range, and he is not allowed to touch me. Onlywhen there’s a specially marked area, usually a steep downhill,am I allowed to hold onto his pole so that he brings usdown at a safe speed” explained Bentele.When she comes to the range, she lies down, takes astandardized rifle from a wooden stand, puts on headphonesand points an infrared signal at the targets which are 10maway. An increasing tone tells her that she is nearing thecenter. “Then, everything is the same as in normal shooting,I have to control my pulse and my breathing and when I stopmy breath I pull the trigger. And if I hear a ringing, it was ahit!” A miss is indicated by a deep buzz.But she’s a powerhouse on the tracks, where she canfully utilize her good technique and her physical strength.Bentele trains strength and endurance by running and cyclingat home in Munich with different training partners. Theelectronic rifle allows her to practice shooting in any placeshe likes, even her apartment. But on skies or rollerskis youonly see her with her guide Thomas.In Vancouver she needed not just her good shape but alsoher mental strength for her two Biathlon Gold medals. “InVancouver I began with misses both times but at the end,when things got tight, the others made mistakes and I shotzero.”Bentele enjoyed her victories at these Paralympics morethan the medals at prior Paralympics because her careerseemed almost over after a bad fall early 2009. “Because ofthe accident I value these victories more than ever before…in general, these Paralympics were special. They were myfourth but one of the nicest ones because they were verywell-organized. The tracks were in great shape, the people92 biathlonworld The official Magazine of the IBU 20 I 2010