Biathlon - Preuß fights for yellow jersey: "Can give you wings"
Franziska Preuß may not have been presented with her yellow jersey yet, but the few German fans in Östersunds ski stadium celebrated the new World Cup leader exuberantly.
After the 29-year-old became the first German biathlete in more than six and a half years to top the overall rankings with fourth place at the World Cup in Sweden on Friday, she gave her flowers to her supporters as a thank you and received many congratulations. The fact that the Bavarian had to share the coveted bib with Norway's Karoline Offigstad Knotten didn't matter at all in the freezing cold in Östersund. After two races, they both have the same number of points and identical results.
"I was a bit too inconsistent with my shooting. Missing the last shot twice is kind of stupid. I was perhaps a tad too impatient. Nevertheless, I am very satisfied," Preuß told the German Press Agency. Shortly after the race, she had no idea that it would be enough for yellow. It was only after intensive calculations that it became clear that she was following in the footsteps of two-time Olympic champion Laura Dahlmeier. The last time she wore this jersey was on March 19, 2017. "Once you have it, it's a great feeling - and it can inspire you and give you strength," Dahlmeier told dpa in Östersund and was happy for her former teammate Preuß: "She deserves it."
And Roman Rees also has yellow after his opening individual success - the last time this happened in the German team was more than 16 years ago, in November 2007, when Andrea Henkel and Michael Greis started the winter as overall World Cup winners of the previous season.
Penalty laps cost Preuß the World Cup victory
Because Preuß was the only one of the top female skiers in central Sweden to have two penalty laps, she narrowly missed out on her second World Cup victory of her career in temperatures of just under 15 degrees below zero. After 7.5 kilometers, she was 18.3 seconds behind the penalty-free premiere winner Lou Jeanmonnot from France. If you calculate a good 23 seconds per 150 extra meters, Preuß could have celebrated with one less penalty. "I'm surprised that two penalties were enough to get so far ahead," said Preuß.
Nevertheless, just like Vanessa Voigt (1 penalty), who once again performed strongly and finished fifth just 1.7 seconds behind her team-mate, she now has the best chance of a podium finish in Sunday's pursuit. Third behind Knotten (1/+ 8.5 seconds) was her teammate Juni Arnekleiv (1/+ 17.6 seconds). The other four Germans did not make it into the top 15.
Special thanks went to the wax team. "We had top material. The result is down to the wax truck, it was great fun," said Preuß, who was only 0.7 seconds off third place. After the test races in Sjusjoen, where the Norwegians dominated and Norway's legend Ole Einar Björndalen subsequently voiced biting criticism of the DSV team, the skis are now absolutely top. Voigt also had perfectly prepared material: "A big praise to the technicians, they did a great job again, 1-A." Preuß had the fourth best time, Voigt was seventh fastest.
Voigt: "I didn't feel anything anymore"
While Preuß had no problems with the cold, it was a completely different story for Voigt. "The mistake simply didn't have to be, but I'm glad that I was able to shoot at all. I didn't feel anything in my fingers," reported the 26-year-old relay runner-up from Oberhof. Last season, the ambitious athlete from Thuringia also went through some downs, which was not always easy for her to deal with. One of the things she learned was how to emerge stronger - and she is demonstrating this at the start of this season.
The World Cup in central Sweden continues on Saturday (2.45 pm/ZDF and Eurosport) with the men's sprint. Rees, who dropped out of the relay with a slight injury, will be competing in yellow for the first time in his career.
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Preuß's flowers were a token of gratitude to the German fans who celebrated her as the new World Cup leader, despite sharing the yellow jersey with Karoline Offigstad Knotten from Norway. The German Press Agency reported Preuß's satisfaction with her fourth place finish, despite some shooting inconsistencies. She missed the last shot twice, but was happy with her overall performance.
Laura Dahlmeier, a two-time Olympic champion, congratulated Preuß on her achievement, expressing that the yellow jersey is both a great feeling and a source of inspiration. Meanwhile, Roman Rees also gained the yellow jersey following his individual success, a feat last achieved by Andrea Henkel and Michael Greis 16 years earlier.
Despite penalty laps costing Preuß the World Cup victory, she remained hopeful about a podium finish in the pursuit. Vanessa Voigt, who finished fifth, also expressed her satisfaction with her performance, despite struggling with cold temperatures. The errors she made were unexpected, but she was grateful for being able to shoot at all.
The wax team received special thanks for providing the athletes with top-quality skis. Voigt, who performed well with her equipment, praised the technicians for their excellent work. The World Cup continues in Sweden with the men's sprint, where Rees will be competing in yellow for the first time in his career.
Source: www.stern.de
