Linda Zingerle (born 14 September 2002) is an Italian biathlete. She made her debut in the Biathlon World Cup in 2021.[1] She is a two-time Youth Olympic Games medalist, a seven-time medalist at the Junior and Youth World Championships, and a two-time medalist at the senior European Biathlon Championships.

Career

Linda Zingerle competed in her first international races in December 2019 in Martell in the IBU Junior Cup. During the season, she participated in the Youth World Championships in Lenzerheide, where she convincingly won the gold medal in the sprint.[2] She also secured bronze in the pursuit and silver in the relay alongside Hannah Auchentaller and Rebecca Passler.

The Youth Olympic Games were also successful for her; although she did not achieve a top-10 finish in the individual events, she won a gold and a silver medal in the mixed and single mixed relays. At the 2021 Youth World Championships, the Italian biathlete once again won three medals, including silver in the sprint behind Lena Repinc.[3] At the end of the season, she made her IBU Cup debut in Obertilliach, finishing 20th in the individual race.[4]

For the 2021/22 season, Zingerle was promoted to the B-team and competed regularly in the IBU Cup. On December 1, 2021, in Sjusjøen, she caused a major surprise by winning the super sprint despite two shooting misses, narrowly defeating Iryna Petrenko and Anastasiya Shevchenko in a close finish.[5] However, she was unable to maintain this level of performance throughout the season and finished only 96th in her World Cup debut in the sprint at Ruhpolding. Nevertheless, she claimed gold in the relay at the Junior World Championships alongside Passler, Auchentaller, and Beatrice Trabucchi.[6][7]

In the 2022/23 season, Zingerle achieved a podium finish in the Junior Cup with the mixed relay, though she did not win any medals at the Junior World Championships. In the IBU Cup, she recorded top-10 finishes in Pokljuka and Obertilliach, while at the European Championships, she secured an eighth-place finish in the individual event.

A similar pattern followed in the next season, as Zingerle finished 10th in the sprint at the European Championships and, together with Daniele Cappellari, placed fifth in the single mixed relay.[8] Her best IBU Cup result was a seventh-place finish in the sprint in Idre. The Junior World Championships were less successful, with the only notable result being a fourth-place finish in the relay.[9]

Personal life

Linda Zingerle comes from Rasen-Antholz. She is the daughter of former biathlete and longtime Italian national coach Andreas Zingerle. Her two-year older brother, David, is also active as a biathlete.[10]

Biathlon results

All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union.

World Cup

Season Overall Individual Sprint Pursuit Mass start
Races Points Position Points Position Points Position Points Position Points Position
2021–22 1/21 Did not earn World Cup points

Youth and Junior World Championships

7 medals (2 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze)

Year Age Individual Sprint Pursuit Mass Start Relay Mixed Relay
Switzerland 2020 Lenzerheide 17 32nd Gold Bronze N/A Silver N/A
Austria 2021 Obertilliach 18 12th Silver Bronze Bronze
United States 2022 Soldier Hollow 19 33rd 19th 25th Gold
Kazakhstan 2023 Shchuchinsk 20 49th 16th 39th 5th 7th
Estonia 2024 Otepää 21 45th 30th N/A 42nd 4th

References

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