Germany’s Anja Wicker training to race like the wind at Milano Cortina 2026

On the cusp of clocking up two decades in Para biathlon and Para cross-country skiing, Anja Wicker does not just measure the passage of time in titles and medals but also changing weather patterns.

Wicker hopes the conditions will be friendly for sit skiers in Italy next March at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

A test event in February produced warm weather and soft trails, she said.

Ahead of the Paralympic test event in February, Wicker, who normally favours Para biathlon, won her first cross-country skiing title at the FIS Para Cross-Country World Championships in Toblach, Italy.

Racing like the wind

With just over six months to go until the Milano Cortina 2026, she is training around the farming fringe of Stuttgart, Germany, and says the impact of climate change is evident.

“It's stayed warmer longer the last couple of years. So, in October, I still had the short-sleeved shirt on,” she said, noting previously she would wear a jacket that time of year.

She hopes her efforts battling the treacherous headwinds in Germany will hold her in good stead for top-of-the-podium finishes in Italy.

“It’s getting a lot more windy, a lot more extreme weather. I don't need the big hills because I have the wind,” she said.

Focus and fun

Wicker was born missing part of her spine and cannot feel her legs. She starts her new season training regime – 15-20 hours a week – on 1 May each year, after a month of holiday and rest.

She undertakes strength sessions twice a week at the Olympic training centre in Stuttgart.

Long hours outdoors in the summer months on rollers are an opportunity for meditation and quiet contemplation.

“Sometimes I don't think at all. I don't remember how I spent the last three hours, how I got from point A to point B,” she said. “Sometimes you just have things to sort out about your private life... It’s like a therapy session with yourself. You have time to talk to yourself and sort things out.”

The summer window in her hometown is also an important time to reconnect with her mates.

“I just try to relax and meet some of my friends,” she said.

“See my hometown, enjoy being home...  We're going to brunch, a little bit of shopping, seeing some sites around and spending as much time as possible together and getting up to speed with their lives and with my life.”

Fortunately for Wicker, training is a family affair – her father serves as her coach, and her mother oversees nutrition and logistics, preparing delicious meals and helping her get ready for training camps.

“She's (also) reminding us that maybe we'll need a break from sports and maybe talk about something else and not always think 24 hours, seven days a week, about sport. That helps too,” Wicker said.

Triumphs and tribulations

Wicker tasted Paralympic glory early in her sports career, winning gold in the women's 10 km sitting event and silver in the women's 12.5 km sitting event in Para biathlon at the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympics.

The 33-year-old still gets goosebumps thinking about that gold medal race.

“It was just the perfect day. The day you dream about as an athlete. You wish for every single race,” Wicker said. 

“The tracks really suited me; I had a good feeling from the start and actually it was my first competition with clean shooting.”

Four years later, at Pyeongchang 2018, Wicker’s performance fell short, and she returned home empty-handed. But in the depths of disappointment, she found new motivation. 

“I can't always have the perfect day... You have to accept it,” she said.

“The 2018 Paralympics, for example, I was really at a low point health-wise, and I couldn't train a lot and it really wasn't fun to compete at all. And I know the last day I was at the stadium in Pyeongchang, I said: Never again, next time has to be better and I took it as motivation, to just look after my body better and be better.”

🇩🇪 Anja Wicker claims bronze for Germany in Para biathlon | Beijing 2022

Click here and change your settings to allow marketing cookies to view this content

By the time the Beijing 2022 Games rolled around, Wicker was back in strong form and netted bronze in Para biathlon’s women's middle distance sitting race behind two formidable Team USA athletes Kendall Gretsch and Oksana Masters.

Looking ahead, Wicker insists there is enough fire in her belly to not only aim for the French Alps 2030 Winter Paralympic Games but also Salt Lake City-Utah 2034.

“It feels like heading into my second year. It still feels fresh and exciting. And my body still feels good,” she said.

Whatever trail conditions Milano Cortina 2026 serves up, Wicker knows that the Italian crowds have a special appreciation of Para cross-country skiing and will produce an electric atmosphere.

“They know what's going on in the race... They know the sport. They love cross-country skiing,” she said.

Secure your tickets for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games  

Milano Cortina 2026, which takes place from 6-15 March 2026, is set to be the most beautiful Paralympic Winter Games yet. Ticket prices start at EUR 10 for children under 14, with approximately 89 per cent of the tickets available for EUR 35 or less.

For more information, please visit tickets.milanocortina2026.org