Biathlon empire strikes back against German superiority
Despite great skepticism, the German biathletes are off to a furious start to the season. Every race means Germans on the podium. Until now. The wave of success comes to an abrupt end in Hochfilzen. This is due to corona worries and many shooting errors. Both yellow jerseys are snatched from the team.
The German biathlon team's new coronavirus concerns weighed more heavily than the loss of Franziska Preuß and Philipp Nawrath's yellow jerseys. "It's an extreme wave right now. We now hope that we can get through it without too much trouble," said Justus Strelow on the currently rampant infectious diseases. Preuß, like her teammate Hanna Kebinger, had contracted the coronavirus and both are now missing the World Cup in Hochfilzen, Austria. "Just bitter and painful," wrote Preuß, who left immediately and had to watch from home as her World Cup lead was snatched from her by France's Lou Jeanmonnot.
"You can tell that corona is not over yet and you have to be more careful again," said Janina Hettich-Walz. In response to the many illnesses - eight women from different nations alone were unable to compete in the sprint due to health reasons - the German hygiene concept was tightened up. "We have once again sensitized ourselves and pushed the topic of masks," said Benedikt Doll. To be on the safe side, groups have been formed again in the team hotel, and it is best not to have closer contact with anyone outside your bubble, said Doll. In closed rooms, mouth and nose protection is also increasingly being worn. "I hope that it goes away quickly for the girls and that we are spared it for the rest of the season," said Strelow from Saxony.
Nawrath suddenly the weakest German
While Preuß lost the top position without a fight, Nawrath was also unable to successfully defend the coveted bib on the track and dropped back to third place. The 30-year-old only finished 34th in the sprint, making him the weakest member of the six-strong German team. "It's a shame to have to give up the jersey. But you still have the chance to attack and show good races again," said Nawrath. Three misses were simply too many in Norwegian Tarjei Bö's victory, and Nawrath goes into Saturday's pursuit (12:15 p.m./ARD and Eurosport) 1:54 minutes behind. The Swede Sebastian Samuelsson took yellow.
The best German was veteran Benedikt Doll in seventh place. "I did quite well, but the competition never sleeps," said Doll, who won the World Championship title on this course in 2017. Johannes Kühn also came ninth with a miss at the shooting range, Strelow finished 15th. After his surprising sprint victory last week in Östersund, Sweden, Nawrath reacted with disappointment. "But the fight remains open," he said: "The season is still long."
Preuß has experience in fighting back
Meanwhile, Preuß' renewed absence was particularly bitter. After having to end the previous season prematurely due to various health problems, she had made a surprisingly strong start to the new winter. Two second places and a fourth place in Östersund brought her to the top of the overall rankings for the first time in her career. The Bavarian was the first German since Laura Dahlmeier in 2017 to slip into the coveted bib.
"She is not yet fit enough to compete at the World Cup in Hochfilzen. In order not to jeopardize the further course of the season, she will unfortunately not be able to compete in Hochfilzen," said team doctor Sebastian Torka. It is therefore clear that she will fall far behind in the rankings. Preuß wanted to be in the fight for overall victory until the end of the season. "I want to wear the yellow jersey for as long as possible," Preuß said recently.
Now she has to fight her way back. Time and again, illnesses and injuries in her career have prevented her from permanently establishing herself at the top. Now the former world champion will not return until next week at the earliest in Lenzerheide in Switzerland.
In the absence of Preuß, the biathletes missed out on another top result. Vanessa Voigt finished as the best DSV athlete in 14th place with one miss and will be 1:12 minutes behind in the pursuit on Saturday. Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold rounded off the Norwegian jubilant day with her sprint triumph.
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The biathlon season's focus shifts from Winter sports dominance by Germany to a challenging recovery period, with corona concerns and shooting errors affecting the team.
Despite the setbacks, the German biathletes, including Preuß and Nawrath, remain motivated, preparing for their comeback in the subsequent competitions.
Source: www.ntv.de
