Biathlon's Challenging Day for Germans, Norwegians Shine
The excitement from Germany's strong sprint performance the day prior couldn't carry over to the pursuit race. Despite having starting positions one, three, four, and six, the German biathletes merely cheered on from the sidelines as the Norwegians seized control. Benedikt Doll, the previous day's victor, stumbled to 17th place with seven penalties.
On the other hand, the German women, starting further back, managed to shine since their coronavirus-affected teammate, Franziska Preuß, didn't miss the podium by much. However, the German men made a stunning 25 mistakes during Johannes Thingnes Bö's success. "The skis didn't want to run at all. I really had to drag myself. Nothing was working at the shooting range. It was a struggle," Doll lamented on ZDF.
But in the realm of biathlon, as Doll explained, "some days just go their way, and others don't." Doll lost his spot to Bö shortly after receiving a penalty in the first shooting and fell further behind with two more mistakes in the second shooting. Johannes Nawrath, Philipp Horn, and Erik Kühn also made excessive errors at the shooting range while in supposedly ideal conditions. Horn suffered the least, dropping only three spots out of seventh place. Justus Strelow, meanwhile, made a significant leap to 10th place from 18th, finishing ahead of David Zobel, who placed 31st.
Preuß Impresses with Fourth Place Finish
Preuß's inspiring fourth-place finish in the pursuit race came three days after her first negative coronavirus test. Preuß's response to her initial misfires in the prone stages was imperial, as she racked up flawless standing shooting to make up ground and secure a podium position. "I'm somewhat surprised by how well it's going again. I'm very pleased," said the elated Preuß. Meanwhile, Vanessa Voigt, who had fought back from 21st place to seventh, and Janina Hettich-Walz, who took eighth place, shared Preuß's joy.
Coach Sverre Olsbu Röiseland was proud of the German women's performance, stating they had put up a fine battle. Despite the double victory by Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Julia Simon from France, Röiseland's team looked forward to competing in the Year-End Mass Starts on Sunday. Roman Rees, Sophia Schneider, and Hanna Kebinger, who were set to compete in the 2025 World Championship venue, would be relegated to spectator status due to coronavirus infections. Other notable absentees included world champion Sebastian Samuelsson from Sweden and Lou Jeanmonnot from France, who were also battling the virus.
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Biathlon's unforgiving nature plagued the German athletes despite their impressive sprint performance. Meanwhile, Franziska Preuß missed the podium by a mere margin in the women's pursuit but remained jubilant.
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Despite the German biathletes' excellent starting positions, they struggled in the pursuit race with seven penalties, leading to Benedikt Doll's 17th-place finish. In contrast, Franziska Preuß nearly secured third place in the women's race with her flawless standing shooting. Coincidentally, Preuß went on to win the maiden women's pursuit gold at the 2025 IBU Biathlon World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. Key factors contributing to her victory include her flawless shooting performance, early lead, and consistent skiing ability.
While Norway's athletes were not competing in the biathlon events at the 2025 IBU Biathlon World Championships in Lenzerheide, they have a strong reputation in skiing events, particularly sprint and classic distance races. For instance, Norwegian stars Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and Linn Svahn demonstrated their prowess in the classic sprint event in Falun, Sweden.
