Biathlon World Cup: Duel with the French: Prussia ready for World Cup

Franziska Preuss from South Tyrol said goodbye exhausted but happy. While Germany’s largest medal hope had decided after two other podium places to protect itself for the biathlon World Cup and therefore not to tackle the relay general rehearsal, the very young quartet took eighth place in an emergency.

Preuss had continued to collect confidence in the days before. Due to the two third places in sprint and persecution, she continues to bear the yellow camisole of the overall World Cup leader. The French in the individual races around Antholz overflammers Lou JeanMonnot were even stronger at the sixth stop of the season. With a good feeling, Prussia still goes into the short preparation phase before the upcoming highlight in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

“I think it is not that much difference,” said the 30-year-old about the duel with the French competition. “But if everyone shoots well, it is of course difficult to attack them.” Then the French are “unassailable” with their good skis, judged Preuss.

For the four -time Olympic champion Sven Fischer, the Bavarian is one of the absolute medal candidates in the competitions from February 12th to 23rd. “It is better to keep a shape than to say that I am not in shape at all or I have the feeling that I am on the descending branch,” said the ZDF expert of the German Press Agency.

Fischer sees problem cases in the German team

For Prussia, who has repeatedly struggled with health problems in the past, the primary concern is to stay healthy. She is one of the few athletes in the World Cup, which is particularly careful and has been using mouth-nose protection for weeks.

Your teammates have to find out how quickly you can get out of step. Selina Grotian reported in the sprint after second place in the sprint and sixth place in the persecution for the season on Sunday at short notice with a sore throat, Julia Tannheimer and Vanessa Voigt could not start recently. At Voigt, the World Cup participation is even in danger. “We have to see how it develops. It could be a bit tight,” said team doctor Jan Wüstenfeld on ZDF.

Fischer thinks you have to worry about these personal details. “This is a more complicated story when I have the feeling that I am not in the constitution, don’t get there, and then I’m a bit sick,” said the 53-year-old Thuringian.

Young quartet gains experience

Due to the failures, a team competed in the relay race, which will probably no longer be used in this constellation. With Sweden, Marlene Fichtner, Sophia Schneider, Julia Kink and Johanna Puff were primarily concerned with gaining experience at the highest level. Sports director Felix Bitterling had already taken any pressure from the fuselage troop before the start. In the end, the gap was almost three and a half minutes after ten releases. Previously, the German quartet had won twice in a different line.

Prussia, however, tries not to be put off by the cases of illness and stay in their flow – especially at the shooting range. “It looks more and more easily from the outside,” she said after just one mistake at a total of 30 shots. “There is already a lot of work behind it, all summer. You shouldn’t let go mentally either. And if it works, then of course that’s cool.”

Home hustle and bustle cost strength

In the coming days, the somewhat drained Preuss would like to charge the energy storage. “It was really a lot in January – also what is pounded on the outside from the outside,” she said with a view to the appointments away from the trail at the home World Cup in Oberhof and Ruhpolding. The focus is now on regeneration before going back to Antholz to a course. “There we will prepare for the World Cup as best as possible,” says Preuss. In her words, great anticipation swings to the climax of the season.

Fischer found it legitimate: “It remains open and exciting. But it is good that from the point of view of women with Franzi is good.”