Fourth place: biathlete Preuß slips into the yellow jersey
Franziska Preuß finished fourth in the biathlon sprint in Östersund, narrowly missing out on her second podium finish of the new World Cup winter, but is the first German in more than six and a half years to wear the yellow jersey.
However, the 29-year-old has to share the lead in the overall World Cup with Norway's Karoline Offigstad Knotten. This is because Preuß and the sprint runner-up Knotten have the same number of points and identical race results.
Preuß, second in the opening individual, was 18.3 seconds behind the penalty-free premiere winner Lou Jeanmonnot from France after 7.5 kilometers and two penalty loops. Knotten (1/+ 8.5 seconds) relegated her teammate Juni Arnekleiv (1/+ 17.6 seconds) to third place, just 0.7 seconds behind Preuß.
The strong result was completed by individual third-placed Vanessa Voigt (1 fault), who finished fifth just 1.7 seconds behind her team-mate. Both go into Sunday's pursuit with excellent podium chances. The other Germans did not finish in the top 15.
- Franziska Preuß's fourth-place finish in the biathlon sprint at the World Cup in Östersund puts her in a tie for the overall lead with Karoline Offigstad Knotten in the World Cup standings, as they both have the same number of points and identical race results in winter sports.
- Despite finishing fourth in the biathlon sprint, Preuß's strong performance in Östersund allows her to don the yellow jersey for the first time in more than six and a half years, as she becomes the first German to do so since the World Cup winter.
- In the biathlon World Cup, Preuß and Knotten are both contenders for podium finishes in the upcoming pursuit event, following their close competition in the sprint event, further highlighting their dominance in the sport, along with France's Lou Jeanmonnot.
Source: www.dpa.com
