Austrian biathlon superstar Anna Gandler has been forced to call it quits on her 2025 campaign after being banned from competing by doctors. Gandler, who had to leave the World Championships in Switzerland last month after hospitalised with a high fever, says she had no option but to stop training after her body shut down, having been "essentially poisoned" due to illness and a lack of recovery time. After competing in the biathlon mixed relay where she finished 17th and sprint where she finished 33rd, the 24-year-old was ruled out of the pursuit with a temperature which rose to 40 degrees Celsius. Her father, Markus, himself an Olympic silver medallist, said: "She's been battling infections all season. A top athlete with such a high fever needs to be thoroughly investigated." Gandler has taken part in the Biathlon World Cup since 2022, having made her first international appearance in 2017 at the Junior World Championships in Osrblie where she won a sprint silver medal. That followed on from her father's exploits at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, where he won silver in the 10km classical cross-country skiing. And in an interview with the Kleine Zeitung , Gandler, who had three top-10 finishes at last year's World Championships, spoke about her reasons for the season coming to a premature end. She said: "One of the biggest problems was sleeping, as my body was never able to properly recover. And I've been struggling with that since June. "I still have to wait for some results, but it looks like my entire organic system isn't functioning as it should, like my liver, for example. My entire body is essentially poisoned because it can no longer regenerate itself; it can't keep up and is overwhelmed. "The main reason was the flu. It can take up to three weeks to recover. I quickly felt completely fit, fitter than I've been all winter, and that's why I went to Nove Mesto. But after an intensive training session, things went completely downhill." Gandler is now feeling back on top form after her health issues but has been banned from taking part at the highest level by her doctors with the chance of the issues recurring too great, which would put her at even more risk. But she has hope for the future and is determined to not give up on her dream, with a new focus on her levels of rest and diet key to getting back out competing as next year's Olympics in Italy come into view. She added: "I feel healthy now, but I'm still not supposed to train. Everyone advised me against it, because otherwise I'd carry it over into next season. Making the decision not to compete this year was very hard. "I shed a few tears because it wasn't a good time. But I've been able to come to terms with this inactivity in the last few days. "I have to give myself some rest, drink plenty of fluids, eat little sugar, and eat a gluten-free diet. You can't afford any mistakes next season. "Other athletes have already cancelled their seasons and had mega seasons the following year; perhaps this is the miracle cure."