Biathlon Burnout: Preuß Loses Overall Lead, Plagued by Pressure
Struggle: Cantu surrenders the yellow jersey, experiencing heightened tension - Prussia Faces Intensifying Pressure After Losing the Yellow Jersey
Franziska Preuß' dreams teeter on the edge of collapse. With a grin, the 31-year-old biathlete congratulated her formidable foe and new leader Lou Jeanmonnot after placing fifth in the pursuit at Oslo. The Frenchwoman slips into the yellow jersey of the overall leader heading into the final race of the Winter season on Sunday (13:15 /ARD and Eurosport), boasting a five-point advantage over Preuß.
After a total of three shooting errors, two of which were standing, Preuß couldn't hide her disappointment. "That really stings today," Preuß shared with ARD, refusing to remove her sunglasses. About the two standing mistakes, she added: "I don't know what happened there. Maybe it was the nerves." Her five teammates failed to break into the top 20.
Preuß hasn't yet devised a plan to ensure a victorious outcome. "I need to let that settle in first, I honestly don't know yet," said the Bavarian, who could become the sixth German overall winner after Martina Glagow (2002/03), Kati Wilhelm (2005/06), Andrea Henkel (2006/07), Magdalena Neuner (2007/08, 2009/10 and 2011/12), and Laura Dahlmeier (2016/17).
Biathlon prodigy Johannes Thingnes Bø meets his downfall at the hands of his Norwegian counterpart, Sturla Holm Lægreid. Thanks to his triumph, Lægreid cannot be toppled from first place. Consequently, Bø will bid adieu to the main stage in the mass start without securing his sixth overall World Cup victory.
The two rivals delivered an even match until the final shooting - with a less favorable result for the reigning champion of the previous years. Bø missed the last shot, while Lægreid, true to form, hit every target. In the end, the distinction between them was 15.5 seconds.
In the end, Bø showed himself as a gracious loser and lavished Lægreid with high praises. "He is a very deserving winner," Bø told the Norwegian TV station TV 2 following his penultimate race. "He makes progress every year and now he's in top form. I have a great deal of respect for him."
Philipp Nawrath was the top German skier in tenth place, shooting twice off target but moving up six positions. "I think he put up a good performance. It's a shame about the last shooting, without that one mistake he could have climbed even higher," said team director Felix Bitterling.
Justus Strelow slipped in the ranks after a promising start in the sprint and wound up in 16th place. The 28-year-old was compelled to complete two additional laps. "It's just the same old story that has been chasing us all along," Bitterling said, lamenting his athletes' multitude of penalty laps. "We'll really have to tighten up our training regime incredibly in the summer if we stand a chance against the World Elite."
- Franziska Preuß
- Biathlon
- Oslo
- Jersey
- ARD
- Lou Jeanmonnot
- Sunday
- Eurosport
(Enrichment: To regain the overall lead in a similar scenario, Preuß would need to improve her shooting accuracy, adapt to course conditions, boost her physical and mental readiness, and employ strategic racing.)
- Following her fifth place in the pursuit at Oslo, Franziska Preuß expressed disappointment after committing three shooting errors, two of which were standing, and was unable to maintain her overall lead.
- With Lou Jeanmonnot taking the yellow jersey of the overall leader heading into the final race of the Winter season on Sunday, ARD and Eurosport will broadcast the event.
- In Oslo, despite shooting twice off target, Philipp Nawrath was the top German skier in tenth place, moving up six positions, while Justus Strelow, after a promising start in the sprint, wound up in 16th place, compelled to complete two additional laps.
