Historical madness leaves biathletes speechless
Benedikt Doll is the third German biathlete to celebrate a victory this winter. Philipp Nawrath, Philipp Horn and Johannes Kühn also deliver a historic result. Afterwards, they search for the right words to describe their triumph. Winner Doll at least provides information about his evening plans.
Benedikt Doll clenched his double fist with a broad grin and let out a short cry of joy towards the audience. Then the ten-minute trembling began, the leader watched Johannes Thingnes Bö's final lap on the scoreboard with an anxious look in his eyes - and was able to cheer out loud again in front of his family: the Black Forest native was the third German biathlete to storm to the top of the podium this winter - crowning an outstanding German team result. "You can't be more beaming," said DSV sports director Felix Bitterling: "Four people in the top six, you have to scratch your head a bit. A fantastic day for us."
The DSV skiers finished first, third, fourth and sixth - a historically good result at the World Cup premiere in Lenzerheide. Doll withstood great pressure of expectation in the sprint. "The parents-in-law and my wife are here," said the winner with a mischievous grin on ZDF: "They have very high expectations. They said they wouldn't come here without a win. It's great that it worked out." He will reward himself in the evening with "coffee and cake and freshly baked cookies" for his fifth World Cup victory.
He saved 5.4 seconds after a penalty-free shooting on Bö, who had a penalty round. "You're going to win," coach Sverre Olsbu Röiseland shouted to him on the course. He had "felt so confident standing that I knew it would be a zero. It was a really great feeling," said Doll: "We had outstanding skis on the track, big praise to the technicians. I was able to make easy time."
Horn: "I'm speechless"
Overall, he finished third over the ten kilometers, just 15 seconds behind Bö, and on the final lap he even extended his cushion over the Norwegian by one second. The entire team "shot very, very well", enthused the forerunner. "It wasn't a flash in the pan in Östersund," praised running coach Jens Filbrich: "The boys are always able to run right at the front." After first and second place in Östersund, Philipp Nawrath (1/+36.8) now claimed his third podium finish of the winter in third place. "The best three Germans are in the same room," said the Bavarian, explaining the secret of his success with a wink: "It's amazing what's going on right now. Mega good from us."
Philipp Horn (1/+39.1) achieved his best career result to date in fourth place on his season debut. "I can't believe I've achieved such a performance in the World Cup. I felt great. I'm speechless," said Horn. Before the winter, he had missed out on qualifying for the World Cup team and had to fight his way back via the second-tier IBU Cup. Johannes Kühn (1/+44.3) rounded off the sensational German team result in sixth place, and the starting position for the 12.5-kilometre hunt race on Saturday (14:40/ZDF and Eurosport) could hardly be better. "We can agree on how to team up," said Nawrath. The first mass start of the winter will then take place on Sunday.
Opening winner Roman Rees will not be competing on the 2025 World Championship tracks. The athlete from the Black Forest should take a break "to recover from the effects of the infection and train well for January", explained sports director Felix Bitterling. Some international athletes were also absent due to illness, including world champion Sebastian Samuelsson from Sweden, who tested positive for coronavirus.
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Despite the historical success of German biathletes this winter, with Benedikt Doll, Philipp Nawrath, Philipp Horn, and Johannes Kühn all claiming top positions, Winter sports enthusiasts might be more intrigued by the upcoming biathlon event in Lenzerheide, especially as Biathlon star Johannes Thingnes Bö is expected to compete.
Following their victories, some biathletes, like Philipp Horn, found themselves speechless, expressing their astonishment at achieving such impressive results, especially considering his earlier struggles to qualify for the World Cup team.
Source: www.ntv.de
