Last winter, the German biathletes achieved five World Cup victories and 24 podium places. The start in Östersund in particular was a great success from a German perspective. The new season starts on November 30th. “The start was terrific, sensational,” said Felix Bitterling, sports director of biathlon, looking back in the BR24Sport interview: “But after that it leveled off. We want to do better this year.” After the outstanding start in Östersund, which was probably mainly due to the German technicians, who had perfectly adapted the skis to icy and hard slopes after the newly introduced ban on fluorine, the German streak of success ebbed somewhat.
Material problems with wet snow
In wet snow and high temperatures, the Germans were not competitive, which was particularly evident at the World Cup in Nove Mesto: Norway dominated the winners’ table. This should change this season. The biathletes and cross-country skiers have worked closely together to develop competitive, fast skis for all conditions. “We did everything that was possible,” said Bitterling, summing up their joint efforts. How good the skis really are will only become clear in the World Cups.
Franziska Preuß: Can the operation help?
In addition to optimizing the skis, Franziska Preuß, who has been injured for a long time, also doesn’t want to experience any more unpleasant surprises this season. To counteract the constant infections, she had surgery on her sinuses. “It wasn’t a pleasant operation, but I’m glad I did it. I’m already noticing a significant improvement,” she told the “Abendzeitung”.
Now the Upper Bavarian is finally hoping for a season without interruptions. Last winter she had to end her season early after an infection during the World Cup and still came eleventh in the overall ranking. With a season without failures, the 30-year-old should even be a candidate for overall World Cup victory.
Vanessa Voigt: Comeback after mental exhaustion
For Vanessa Voigt, this winter preparation was also completely different than usual. Due to mental problems, she had to take a month and a half off in the summer. “There were days when I lay in bed and couldn’t get up. My body felt so exhausted, as if I had had five days of extreme strength training,” the 27-year-old told Thüringer Allgemeine.
Painting pictures, rearranging the apartment and knitting socks were on her agenda. Sport was put on the back burner for the time being. After a long period of switching off, at some point she heard the whirring noise of the roller skis on the Oberhof asphalt and felt like doing sport again. “Then it started to tingle again.” Now she wants to enjoy the upcoming competitions.
Grotian and Co: The Young Wild Ones attack
Behind the two established biathletes is a whole horde of highly talented young talent: Selina Grotian (20), Johanna Puff (22), Julia Tannheimer (19), Julia Kink (20) were all nominated for the start of the World Cup. “The young athletes made an exclamation mark, especially in terms of running,” emphasizes Kröll.
Grotian was already very close to his first World Cup podium in an individual podium last season. At the World Cup last year, the athlete from SC Mittenwald won the bronze medal in the relay. An experience that she would like to repeat: “Absolutely,” she tells the Sportschau winter podcast and adds: “That’s also the reason why I do sport. These reasons are the moment why you torture yourself every day. This moment is indescribable. It’s the most beautiful feeling in the world.”
Johanna Puff would like to do the same as Grotian. In the summer she was able to make her first statement when she reached the podium at the City Biathlon. The 22-year-old from SC Berchtesgaden came second in Dresden. “I think a few things went well for us boys. But we have to show our performance and deliver,” said Puff before the start of the World Cup in Kontiolahti.
First winter without Benedikt Doll
The German biathlon men have to compensate for a big loss this winter. It is the first season without team leader Benedikt Doll, who won six World Championship medals. Felix Bitterling knows that Benedikt Doll, a biathlete figurehead, is missing this winter. But he is sure that the remaining athletes can fill the gap together: “We will no longer have one person on whom everything is focused. This will now be spread across several shoulders. And I believe that the men’s team will be very important is competitive.”
