Italy's summer biathlon elite gathered at the Grogg Biathlon Center in Val Martello on Wednesday for the national sprint championships, and two home favourites delivered: Lisa Vittozzi won gold among the women and Davide Compagnoni among the men, both combining the day's fastest ski times with near-perfect shooting to leave the field without an answer.
Vittozzi rules with nine out of ten
Lisa Vittozzi crossed the finish line in 20 minutes 19.4 seconds — the quickest ski split of the field — with only one blemish on the range: a single miss in the standing stage. Rebecca Passler took silver, 15.1 seconds behind, while Hannah Auchentaller rounded out an all-Italian podium with bronze at 20.2 seconds back. The top-three sweep underlined the depth Italy has built in women's biathlon over the past cycle.
Vittozzi arrived in Val Martello carrying the weight of Olympic champion. At the Milan-Cortina Winter Games in February she won Italy's first ever individual biathlon gold, claiming the women's 10km pursuit in front of a packed home crowd. Wednesday's sprint was a domestic test rather than a World Cup stage, but the authority of her performance — fastest legs and second-cleanest shooting in the entire field — was a clear signal that her form has carried smoothly into the summer preparation block.
Behind the podium, the women's field compressed quickly, with several athletes finishing within 40 seconds of gold, an indication that the national group is raising its overall level heading into the new World Cup season.
Compagnoni seizes men's title as Giacomel sits out
Davide Compagnoni won the men's race with a time of 21 minutes 17.4 seconds, also shooting nine of ten and posting the fastest ski split among the men. Lukas Hofer took silver at 21.1 seconds with eight out of ten, and David Zingerle completed the podium with bronze at 37.5 seconds, hitting seven of ten. The pursuit group — Patrick Braunhofer (4th, 8/10), Nicola Romanin (5th, 8/10), Elia Zeni (6th, 8/10), Marco Barale (7th, 7/10), Christoph Pircher (8th, 8/10) and Manuel Contoz (9th, 9/10) — all finished within one minute of Compagnoni, reflecting a tight and competitive men's roster.
The notable absentee was Tommaso Giacomel, currently sidelined by injury. Giacomel is considered among Italy's top World Cup contenders, and his absence opened the way for Compagnoni, who responded with the strongest individual performance of his summer season. The Compagnoni victory — built on efficient movement across the mountain course and composed shooting under altitude conditions — will provide a significant confidence boost as the international calendar approaches.
Pursuit closes the domestic summer calendar on Thursday
The Italian Summer Championships conclude at the same Grogg Centre venue on Thursday morning. The men's pursuit is scheduled for 9:30 am and the women's pursuit for 10:20 am. Starting positions are set by Wednesday's sprint gaps, meaning Vittozzi and Compagnoni leave the blocks first and the rest of the field must chase. Each shooting error in pursuit format converts into a penalty lap, adding a tactical dimension that the flat sprint format does not provide.
Once the pursuit is complete, the domestic summer calendar wraps up. Italy's top biathletes will move into training camps across Europe before the IBU World Cup season opens in the autumn — with Vittozzi, Giacomel (fitness permitting) and Hofer all expected to feature prominently on the international circuit.