After twelve years on the World Cup team, it’s over: biathlete Benedikt Doll is retiring. Now other things have top priority.
As expected, former biathlon world champion Benedikt Doll is retiring after this season. “I will end my career after the winter and, to be honest, the decision was relatively easy,” said Doll in an Instagram video the day before his 34th birthday. After 27 years in biathlon and twelve years in the World Cup, he realized “that I now want to put my energy into new projects and spend more time with my family. I look back on an eventful time that I would never want to miss,” said Doll in an association announcement.
Just last week in the Czech Republic, Doll fulfilled his big dream of another medal and came third in the individual, winning the German men’s only precious metal at the World Cup. “The decision to end his career at a time when he is still capable of absolute top performance speaks for itself. With Benni, not only is an extraordinary athlete leaving the big biathlon stage, but also a very special person,” said Felix Bitterling, sports director biathlon.
World Cup title in 2017 and Olympic bronze in 2018
The ski hunter from SZ Breitnau contested his first of 313 World Cup races on March 16, 2012 in Khanty-Mansiysk; he will contest his last races at the season finale from March 14 to 17 in Canmore, Canada. He has a total of six World Cup victories on his resume so far. He approached the last three World Cups full of motivation.
His greatest successes include the 2017 World Championship title in the sprint in Hochfilzen and the bronze medals in the pursuit and relay at the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. In total, the Black Forest native won precious metal at major events eight times.
Even before the season, Doll had more than hinted at a possible end to his career. In recent years he has repeatedly had moments where he thought to himself, “why am I still doing this to myself?” 99 percent motivation would not be enough in competitive sports. “When I notice that it’s difficult for me, then I’ve decided that that’s the moment when I say, OK, that’s enough, that’s it,” Doll continued.
In the future, his wife Miriam and their one and a half year old son will be the focus. Doll also wants to study again, this time in the field of building technology. He has already completed a bachelor’s degree in marketing and sales industrial engineering at Furtwangen University.
Source: Stern
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