Medal hunting in Switzerland: Franziska Preuß’s gold dream: “untouchable” to the World Cup

Perhaps it will be the last world championship for Franziska Preuss, but in any case it should be its most successful. After years full of health setbacks, along with the thoughts of an early end of the career, the 30-year-old travels to Lenzerheide in the form of her life-and is one of the favorites in Switzerland at every start. For the overall World Cup leader, the dream of the first single gold seems to be reality, and it should also work with precious metal in the relay races.

“If you make it onto the podium in the World Cup, this is also a realistic goal at a World Cup. I am grateful for the success this winter and hope to be able to build on right there,” said the Bavarian. At 14 starts she was on the podium ten times this winter, earned the yellow jersey of the leader. Twice she won Solo, twice as the final runner with the season, who is one of the title candidates. Also thanks to Selina Grotian and Julia Tannheimer, who want to surprise after Vanessa Voigt’s failure.

Only three medals at the 2024 World Cup

Prussia does not make pressure. “It is important for me to approach the races with a certain relaxation,” she said before the mixed relay on Wednesday (2.30 p.m./ZDF and Eurosport). The best way to use the first medal chance should be used, because that had not worked too often. In 2019 there was the last World Cup medal so far in this discipline with silver. Many disappointments followed, most recently in the last year in the Czech Republic.

“Overall, we look at the next two weeks with a positive mood,” said sports director Felix Bitterling. In front of the fantastic mountain panorama in the canton of Graubünden, there are twelve decisions at a good 1400 meters on nine competition days. How many medals do the German team want to take with them? As was often the case, the DSV avoided a clear goal.

However, it should run better than in 2024. In Nove Mesto there was three precious metal, gold was not there. Benedikt Doll, bronze winner in singles, has resigned, Janina Hettich, who won silver in singles, is missing in the Alps because of their pregnancy. The women’s relay also won bronze.

The competition fears: “It seems inviolable”

This is also the minimum goal in Lenzerheide. After two triumphs last, there could be more in it. In 2015 Preuss had already won the title with the team in Finland, and she also celebrated her only World Cup individual medal so far with silver in the mass start. Is it going even better ten years later? “Franzi is in top shape, she knows what she is doing,” said Bitterling: “You can clearly see the respect for the opponents.”

The French woman Lou JeanMonnot expressed this in an apt sentence at the World Cup general rehearsal in Antholz. “It seems inviolable,” said the overall runner-up, who is also Preuss’s largest adversary with six season wins. On Friday there will be a duel between the two in the sprint in the first individual race. Before that, the Bavarian herself cannot be crazy. “I’m really looking forward to this World Cup,” she said.

An operation solves all physical problems

Preuss had always missed the highlights of the season at least partially because she was sick and the body did not play along. In the spring of 2024, surgery of the sinuses brought improvement. “I am glad that you found something medically, which was the reason that I was so susceptible,” she said: “Overall, I was able to train better overall, with significantly higher sizes – and I also feel more resilient.”

Their big goal is the 2026 Olympic Games with the biathlon races in Antholz. Prussia trained in height before winter both in South Tyrol and Lenzerheide and sucked up the special atmosphere. It seems quite possible that she ends her career after the winter games, which also sounded from Bitterling’s words. “Of course, Franzi is aware that it is a World Cup and possibly also her last,” he told the “kicker”: “But as long as she stays healthy, she will deliver top results.”

Men too weak at the shooting range

At the start, however, it also depends on the men in the mixed quartet. But Philipp Nawrath and Co. had problems this winter. The services at the shooting range were too fluctuating to permanently attack the strong Norwegians and French. “The Norwegians are impressive,” said Nawrath in Antholz: “You can only observe it from behind and have little talk. I hope that I can get a little closer.”

After Doll’s resignation, the team lacks a clear leader, a second place from Danilo Riethmüller and a third rank of Nawrath are the best results of the season in the individual competitions. “Of course, a medal would be the absolute highlight-but in the biathlon there is always a portion of luck,” said 31-year-old Bayer Nawrath, who also knows: “Shooting will be decisive at the altitude.”