"I always need a goal to focus on."

Magdalena Neuner (39) is the kind of person who always seems to be in a good mood. Calm, composed, and positive—almost as if she takes things effortlessly. How does she do it?

Part of the answer lies in her daily life itself. Despite her great success, she remained in her hometown of Wallgau. She lives with her husband (who knew as a child: "I will marry Magdalena one day") and their three children where it all began. Not a retreat, but a conscious stay, close to family, friends, and down-to-earth values.

The Secret of Her Optimism

"Primarily, I am a person who makes decisions from the heart and gut."

This attitude runs through many decisions in her life. And perhaps it is precisely this trust in her own feelings that makes her path so consistent and at the same time so special.

Growing up between mountains and movement

Magdalena Neuner grows up in Wallgau, Upper Bavaria, right in the mountains. Nature is her home, and movement is naturally part of her life from the beginning. At just three or four years old, she is already on skis.

When she watches the Olympic Games in Nagano in 1998, her childish enthusiasm becomes a clear dream. "At eleven years old, it was my absolute dream to become an Olympic champion," she says. For her, it is "crystal clear" that she will follow this path—there is no Plan B.

To the Top in Record Time

After graduating from school, she decisively chooses professional sports. "You really can't talk me out of things - once I've set my mind on something, I see it through," she says about herself.

Success doesn't take long to arrive: In 2007, at the World Championships in Antholz, she becomes a triple world champion at just 19 years old - making her the youngest in the history of biathlon.

She never loses sight of her big goal. "Becoming an Olympic champion was my driving force," she says in retrospect. This inner motivation accompanies her for years and gives her the discipline to consistently work towards this moment.

With her two Olympic victories at the Winter Games in Vancouver 2010, she finally fulfills her greatest dream.

The Two Sides of Success

"Every medal has its sunny and its shadowy sides," says Magdalena Neuner. A sentence that reveals a lot about how she understands success. "For me, the sunny side prevails" – and yet the other side is also part of it.

After the Olympic Games, she experiences a phase for which she was not prepared. "I felt like I was falling into a big, deep black hole," she openly describes.

What ultimately helps her is what has always distinguished her: the ability to listen to herself. "I just need a new goal," she realizes. And exactly at the moment when a new goal is there again, everything else changes.

It is this focus that comes from within and not from external expectations that distinguishes her. She makes decisions based on her gut feeling. It is important to her that they feel right.

Thus, the decision to end her athletic career at the peak at 25 also arises. "I realized that the time was over – and that a great time lies ahead of me."

Competitive sports end, LaVita remains.

The chapter of competitive sports is closed, but the awareness of health and nutrition remains. "I found out what a great addition it is to our healthy lifestyle," she says about LaVita, which has long been a solid part of her family's everyday life. "It means a lot to me when my children are healthy and happy."

What really matters today

Today, Magdalena Neuner finds fulfillment mainly in her role as a mother. "Happiness means having a good day with my family."

Through the Peak Performer Foundation, she also engages in helping children and young people, passing on the values that have shaped her.

Her life has changed, but her attitude remains: listen to your own feelings and follow your own path.