The 30-year-old from Skatval has suddenly become an Olympic medal contender. But not for Norway. Wearing Belgian colors, she was just half a second from victory at the Norwegian season opener in Geilo. This weekend, she is a clear pick for the World Cup premiere in Östersund.

Lotte Lie’s best World Cup result so far is seventh place in Le Grand Bornard. She achieved that last season, when she was also ninth in the pursuit in Antholz. In total, she has three top 10 finishes at the highest level.

But the opening races in Geilo suggest that the 30-year-old has likely taken another step forward this season.

Lotte Lie’s name frequently appears among the very best. And in the sprint in Geilo, she was only half a second behind Maren Hjelmeset Kirkeeide and mere tenths behind Marit Øygard.

Also Read – Geilo dreams: How Norway’s biathlon season opener shocked the lineup

She followed up with a strong fifth place in the mass start, and Belgium suddenly has an Olympic biathlon hope—despite being a nation where you can hardly ski at all in winter.

“We’re on the way up, so you’d better watch out for us now. There are a whole lot of Belgians following along, so it’s really nice,” says Lotte Lie.

She has a Belgian mother and is now close to becoming a veteran in the World Cup. She has always competed for Belgium, and she has even outperformed the Norwegians several times.

Also Read: Biathlon World Cup: Complete program for Östersund

This season’s major goal, of course, is the Olympics in Italy. She has performed well in Antholz before, which suggests she handles the altitude of the upcoming Olympic venue well. And if she continues the progression she showed in Geilo, things could look very promising for the most important races of the season in February.

Lotte Lie has become a consistent biathlete, and in Geilo she shot clean in the sprint. She is not the fastest on skis, but she is fast enough that everyone needs to keep an eye on her.

The athlete from Skatval competed at the Beijing 2022 Olympics, but she was not at the same level then. She finished 45th in the individual race and 64th in the sprint, which was not enough to qualify for the pursuit.

She has competed in five World Championships. Her best results at the 2025 Worlds were two 14th places—in the pursuit and the 15km individual. But her results have steadily improved year after year.

Following Lotte’s rise, Belgium has built a strong team. Teammate Maya Cloetens finished in eighth place in the sprint at the most recent World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

FACTS Östersund World Cup Season 2025/2026

• When: Saturday, November 29 to Sunday, December 7
• Who: Elite national biathletes – women and men
• Where: Östersund, Sweden
• What: IBU World Cup in Östersund, Sweden

PROGRAM

Saturday, November 29: Women 4x6km Relay and Men 4×7.5km Relay (more information can be found HERE)

• 13:15 CET: Women 4x6km Relay 
• 16:55 CET: Men 4×7.5km Relay 

Sunday, November 30: Single Mixed Relay (M+W) and Mixed Relay (M+W) (more information can be found HERE and HERE)

• 14:00 CET: Single Mixed Relay (M+W)
• 16:40 CET: Mixed Relay (M+W)

Tuesday, December 2: Women 15km Individual (more information can be found HERE)

• 15:30 CET: 15km Individual, Women

Wednesday, December 3: Men 20km Individual (more information can be found HERE)

• 15:30 CET: 20km Individual, Men

Friday, December 5: Women 7.5km Sprint (more information can be found HERE)

• 16:00 CET: 7.5km Sprint, Women

Saturday, December 6: Men 10km Sprint (more information can be found HERE)

• 16:30 CET: 10km Sprint, Men

Sunday, December 7: Women 10km Pursuit and Men 12.5km Pursuit (more information can be found HERE)

• 13:15 CET: Women 10km Pursuit
• 15:20 CET: Men 12.5km Pursuit

After Östersund, the biathlon World Cup continues in Hochfilzen (Austria), then Annecy – Le Grand Bornand (France), before heading to Oberhof (Germany), Ruhpolding (Germany), Nové Město na Moravě (Czech Republic), and Antholz–Anterselva (Italy) for the Winter Olympic Games. The post-Olympic stages will take place in Kontiolahti (Finland) and Otepää (Estonia). The 2025/2026 World Cup season ends in Oslo Holmenkollen (Norway).

Also Read: Biathlon World Cup: Calendar for the 2025/2026 winter season

Are you interested in biathlon? Click HERE and read more about it.