Career learning in youth elite biathlon. A case of a male biathlete

This chapter presents the case study of a Cyril. In line with his athletic development, Cyril was soon nominated for the regional squad and, together with Sim, was invited to additional training at the regional performance centre in Springton. Cyril and his coach struggled to come to grips with the athlete's sudden drop in performance and his getting sick time and time again. Like the lesson drawn from the winter season, the illness experience enforced Cyril's horizon for the precariousness of an elite sport career. The chronological reconstruction of Cyril's illness experience further sheds light on how personal dispositions, social relations, cultural norms, organizational conditions, and timing worked together in shaping the career crisis. The learning Cyril gained from the crisis partly confirmed his horizon for the precariousness of an elite sport career.