Nico Messinger

Nico Messinger (born 11 December 1994) is a German para cross-country skier and biathlete.

Background Messinger suffers from an eye condition (Leber's congenital amaurosis) and is therefore classified in classification B2. Through a project at his school for the visually impaired, he first encountered cross-country skiing and biathlon in 2006. He has been actively involved in the sport since 2010. Robin Wunderle has been his guide skier for about three years. Messinger works as an automotive salesman.

Career In 2015, Messinger began competing in the Nordic World Ski Championships for athletes with disabilities and participated in both the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing and the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. He competes in cross-country skiing and biathlon. Due to his visual impairment, he relies on Wunderle as his guide skier. His greatest successes to date were achieved at the 2023 World Championships in Östersund, Sweden. In cross-country skiing, he won gold in the open relay and silver in the sprint, while in biathlon, he won the 10 km and bronze in the 7.5 km. In the 2022/23 Para Biathlon World Cup overall standings, Messinger finished second.