Behind the track: Alexia Runggaldier "I can imagine my own hand made clothing brand"

Extraordinary skilled...

Yes, I mean running and shooting as well. But there is something more about her. Can you imagine you are cheering by the track wearing the clothes branded by the nice Italian biathlon girl Alexia Runggaldier? She can. But first enjoy her extraordinary story. Exclusive talk for Biathlonum.

- Before I started doing biathlon I have beeing doing alpine skiing. Since my father brought me to try cross country skiing for the first time, everything has changed. I also tried to shoot and I really liked it so I thought why not, I can try to do biathlon! So I started with my sport when I was 12 years old and I think I chose it because I saw a challenge in it and also because we had so much fun in the team of our ski club!

- Years ago my biathlon idol was Helena Eckholm, at the moment it’s Tora Berger. She won everything the last season!

- I don’t want to be too patriotic but I think the best dream team I could form for women’s relay would be made up by Dorothea Wierer, Karin Oberhofer, Nicole Gontier and me!

- Olympic Games in Sochi - the first thing that comes to my mind is that I will be there. But I don’t want only to be there, I want to give my best in order to achieve good results. What I can expect is to give my best then we will see what comes out!

- To be honest I don’t like the tracks in Sochi so much. They are really hard and there are only up- or downhill’s. The tracks that I like and that are more appropriate for my way of skiing are those that don’t have too steep uphill’s. But I think it’s a new challenge to get better in it.

 - For sure we will change something in my preparation for the games in order to improve my skiing especially in the uphill, but we would not do something totally different.

- I made my best result in Hochfilzen, it’s one of my favourite tracks, but not the most favourite one. The places I really liked during last season was Antholz, because many people and friends came to see the races so I really enjoyed that time. And the other place was Oslo!

- When my rifle and skis are taking  a rest I do many things, I go to university and study. What I can never miss is taking a coffee with my friends and go out for some pizza and talk talk talk. I don’t see my friends so much, so it’s always a good time with them. 

- My relax days in summer are made by lying in the sun or doing different things with friends, but I prefer to stay outside enjoying the warm weather. Sometimes I go to the cottage of my parents, situated in the Dolomites, there I have time to relax and enjoy beautiful panorama! My winter relax days are made by studying or knitting. When the sun is shining bright I go out for alpine skiing or a little walk in the snow.

- I can imagine I would have my own hand made clothing brand, but I would need the help of other people, maybe my mom (she transmitted me the pleasure of knitting) and my teammates that are now really productive, because handmade things need time. The clothing brand would only include handmade bags, gloves, caps, headbands, scarfs and maybe socks if I knew how to knit them.

- Tora Berger is also good teacher, she gave me some good advices and explained me how to do it, but I had always to try it by myself. That’s the best method I think. And now I taught my teammates how to knit. 

- I wouldn’t be the model of the campaign of my brand. I would choose Ingela Andersson, the Swedish biathlete and Simon Fourcade or maybe I would think about the other faces.

Gloves made by Alexia after lessons with Tora Berger

- I don’t really like to cook myself, maybe because I don’t do it so often but I prefer to go for eat at “Mum’s restaurant”. There I get my favourite meals that always taste good. Sometimes I go out and eat in restaurants. My favourite meal is dumplings with cheese, spinach or the sweet one with nougat or apricot. It’s a typical meal in South Tirol.

- I like travelling especially in new beautiful places, but sometimes when we have to change airplane three times during one journey it’s really hard and exhausting and I can’t wait to arrive. I will visit one day for sure the United States of America, I would travel for one month there. Another destination could be the Maldives. 

- The music I generally listen to is pop, rock and techno music, especially the last singles that are available. I especially listen to it when I’m sitting in the car, there I can shout and sing and nobody hears me! When I want to have a relaxing time I listen to Italian music.

Alexia would choose for her dream relay team also Dorothea Wierer and Nicole Gontier

- My weakness is that I’m always in the action, when I don’t train I study, when I don’t study I go out with friends. There is not much time for relaxing at home. Another weakness is that I really like eating sweets and I’m really messy. 

- The most important thing in my life is my family and my friends. Without them my life would be empty. Stay with them or my teammates having a good time, or going to sleep that’s the best solution when I had a bad race or bad day.

- Strange thing has happened to me last season in Oslo, instead of doing 3 penalty loops I did only two and I got two penaltyminutes! That was very embarrassing!