World Cup in Austria: Biathletes inspire: relay victory and yellow jersey

At the end of a perfect weekend, Franziska Preuß fell into the arms of her cheering teammates at the finish. With their superior first relay victory in almost four years, the German biathletes shocked the competition and crowned their days in Austria. Preuss even had time to grab a German flag and relax and enjoy the last few meters with a lead of more than a minute over France. “It’s really cool to win in such an atmosphere. It was a really cool day for all four of us,” said final runner Preuss.

With a very strong performance, the 30-year-old secured success in the final laps. Just two days earlier she had won the sprint in Tyrol and thus took over the yellow jersey of the leaders in the overall World Cup. “It’s equally beautiful. Every victory has its moment,” said the Bavarian about the successes. The former world champion, who was plagued by many setbacks, was on the podium in three starts. The men, however, disappointed with fifth place in the team and are currently clearly lagging behind the women.

Two wins and a third place for Preuß

The German relay team with Vanessa Voigt (27), the young Julia Tannheimer (19) and Selina Grotian (20) as well as Preuß (30) won in the end thanks to a perfect team performance. The lead changed hands several times in the head-to-head race with the French, but in the end they had no chance. “That was a great race,” said Tannheimer.

For the first time since the team’s success on January 16, 2021 in Oberhof, the German team was at the top again. “I can still remember that,” said Preuß, who was already the final runner in Thuringia back then. She won’t forget the repetition of success either. “A day like that sticks with you,” she said. Not far from the border with Bavaria, thousands of German fans also cheered.

On Saturday, Voigt and Preuß celebrated together on the podium. Only the Frenchwoman Lou Jeanmonnot prevented Voigt’s first World Cup victory in the pursuit, behind her Preuß defended the yellow jersey in third place despite three shooting errors. This means she will also be wearing the coveted bib at the last World Cup before the New Year next week in Le Grand-Bornand, France.

Voigt is also back on the podium

“I’m a little annoyed about the shooting,” said Preuss. A day after her second World Cup victory, another triumph would have been entirely possible. But the frustration quickly disappeared. “It’s something special with the podium,” said Preuß, who enjoyed her first race as the front runner: “People scream at you brutally there. It’s nice when people are happy, but for me it’s no other everyday life.”

After a long mental low, Voigt from Thuringia made an impressive comeback. 20 hits on 20 shots took them from twelfth place to second. “It felt like I was lying on the couch a few weeks ago, unable to put one foot in front of the other, and now I’m back on the podium in the World Cup,” said the 27-year-old. She had doubted herself a lot and pondered a lot, but now she quickly showed all her abilities again. “The hard work in the summer has paid off,” said Voigt: “I am very grateful for those who were always with me even in the hard times.”

Sports director: Everyone is an inch or two taller

This also surprised those responsible at the German Ski Association. “But that is of course very positive,” said sports director Felix Bitterling. The successes in Pillerseetal, which were not to be expected in this abundance, are good for the rest of the season. “With a win you will be perceived differently here, the communication between the nations will be different,” said Bitterling: “That gives you self-confidence, everyone is a centimeter or two taller.”

Men are not yet as strong as women

Things have been rather slow for the men since Benedikt Doll’s career ended. Nawrath was the strongest with two eighth places in the individual races. But there wasn’t really a chance for the podium in the sprint and pursuit; the Norwegians around the dominant double winner Johannes Thingnes Bö and the French around Emilien Jacquelin looked much stronger at the start of the winter.