Superstar Bö hurried: world leaders out of reach: men’s debacle at biathlon World Cup

When Franziska Preuss became a hairdresser, Danilo Riethmüller was also able to laugh again. The biathlon world champion was able to shave the German women’s coaches after their gold coup in Lenzerheide thanks to a bet in the team hotel. At the end of a first World Cup week completely messed up for them, the male colleagues also watched up close on Sunday evening. While Preuss won three medals in three races, Riethmüller and Co. are also in a crisis at the highlight of the season, especially because of their poor shooting performance.

Riethmüller found his persecution race “shit from front to back”. The 25-year-old had to go to the finals eight times and only finished 50th out of 60 at his first World Cup. Philipp Nawraths seven misconceptions brought him 44th. “This is out of the question, the boys themselves know,” said sports director Felix Bitterling. Because Nawrath is in health, he now gets a break in singles and is replaced by David Zobel, who arrives from home.

After such setbacks, you build up each other again. “But in the end it is still my own mistakes and my own stupidity,” said Riethmüller: “You can tell you well, but you still make your allegations.”

Superstar Bö for Germans out of reach

And so the men in the first week of the World Cup to extras were deteriorated in the record hunt of Norway’s superstar Johannes Thingnes Bö. “You get it through the loudspeakers what goes and where Johannes Bö and the top are currently,” said Philipp Nawrath. The best are out of sight. “Hopefully you have ticked off the bad races. You can tell that you are a bit away.”

And that’s nice. Nawrath as 18th in Sprint and Philipp Horn as the 17th in the persecution still produced the best results, while Bö with his World Cup titles number 21 and 22 promoted the sole record champion and Ole Einar Björndalen overtook. “You can’t be satisfied with a 17th place at a World Cup, so it’s just about medals, everything else is actually not interested,” said Thuringian Horn. While the men disappointed, Preuss brought calm into the team with their successes.

Is there help from world champion Preuss?

“We will put Franzi and the men into a room, get out outside and then let’s see if that helps,” said sports director Felix Bitterling in ZDF in a joke. Of course, this would not solve any problems. The functionary later added a little more serious with a view to the second World Cup week: “The races all start from zero.”

The great hope for a medal is mainly for the season. “We have to have another mindset at the shooting range, otherwise it will be difficult,” said Bitterling: “We don’t give up the second week before it started.”

On Wednesday, the single is over 20 kilometers, before that, construction work will still be necessary. So far, the conclusion could only be called, “pulled double line underneath and be happy that it worked in the mixed season”. In the mixed quartet, Nawrath and Justus Strelow also won a bronze medal together with Prussia and Selina Grotian.

Now, however, the men threaten even worse World Cup cuts than in the previous year. In Nove Mesto, only Benedikt Doll had brought bronze in the singles, the season had ended as fourth. Arnd Peiffer won the last German gold so far. “We may not have the superstar at the moment who clears everything in the individual races, but we are a very homogeneous team,” said Horn, who relies on the season on Saturday: ” We have the chance to get our performance over there. “

The problem is between the ears

However, this will only be possible when finally shooting better. “The training services are usually good and there is a hit,” said men’s coach Jens Filbrich before the World Cup: “But when the race comes, the problem is between the ears.” In the crucial situations, Nawrath and Co. have been thinking too much for months instead of applying the trained. Just like Preuss, who managed to bring all 20 shots to the finish line with her persecution gold and to hide every distraction.

The 30-year-old already has a real chance to win her fourth precious metal in Lenzerheide on Tuesday (3:05 p.m./ZDF and Eurosport). She is one of the favorites again after giving the coaches rather disadvantageous hairstyles and thus creating the best mood in the team. “We don’t have enough, definitely want to attack in the second week and provide as many highlights as possible on our part,” said Bitterling.