Eurosport's Future Stars for 2016: Laura Dahlmeier

Nominated by Eurosport biathlon commentator Sigi Heinrich, who said: “When the three-time Junior World Champion competed in the 2013 World Championships in Nove Mesto, Laura Dahlmeier, then 19, had no real experience of big races. What she achieved in the relay, however, showed the world of biathlon exactly what she could do. With a strong skiing time and a faultless shooting performance, she took the German team from eighth to first position over the course of her leg. The team eventually finished in fifth place, but that was the moment the world became aware of Dahlmeier’s enormous potential to be a great champion in the future.

“Having grown up in Garmisch-Partenkirchen as the daughter of two professional mountain bikers, Dahlmeier got used to skiing, climbing and mountain biking from an early age. This background set her up with a great respiratory capacity and a competitive, driven mindset that has helped take her to where she is today. Currently one of the best on the circuit when it comes to the shooting, Dahlmeier’s control in this section belies her 22 years of age and lack of long-term experience. Her skiing has also improved a great deal in a short amount of time.

“Her progress has been relentless. She finished 35th overall in the 2013 World Cup rankings, 15th in 2014 and eighth in 2015 despite missing eight of the 25 races last season with injury. She also showed her consistency last year with 15 top-10 finishes from the 17 races she competed in, eight of which were on the podium. The stand-out results of Dahlmeier’s career so far include four individual World Cup victories, a gold medal in the relay of the 2015 World Championships and silver in the pursuit.

“A huge asset for her future development is her coach, Bernhard Kröll, the man behind German biathlon legend Magdalena Neuner. This combination of natural ability and great coaching could steer Laura onto the same path of Neuner’s footsteps. I can already see her finishing in the top three for the 2016 season, and she has the potential to win the overall World Cup in the future. I think she will also be particularly successful at the 2016 World Championships in Oslo, and her kind nature and leadership skills make her, for me, the natural leader of the new generation of German women’s biathlon.”