Biathlon World Cup in Lenzerheide: “Incredibly important”: German longing for relay gold

Franziska Preuß always likes to remember this golden moment ten years ago. “We were all so young and nobody expected anything from us. We were surprised how we cleared up there,” said the medal collector of the biathlon World Cup in an interview for a sponsor.

She was just 21 years old when she won her first World Cup title with the German women’s relay in Kontiolahti, and a day later, the men of this coup also succeeded in 2015. The team would only like to repeat this triumph at the World Cup in Lenzerheide.

Preuss has his focus on the fifth medal

So far it has been the last time in Finland that there were double relay gold for Germany. “We had taken a huge team photo, the atmosphere was totally exuberant,” said Erik Lesser from the German Press Agency. The Thuringian, now a trainer and TV expert, was already in the men’s quartet, Prussia already with the women.

On Saturday (12:05 p.m./ARD and Eurosport) Preuss and her team are one of the big gold favorites again after two season victories and finally wants to land again for the first time after 2017. For men, this will probably be an insoluble task three hours later. “They go as an underdog. The Germans have to fit together that bronze jumps out,” said Lesser. The title was hardly to be taken, said the 36-year-old.

But what for Prussia and Co.? After bronze in the single-mixed on the side of Justus Strelow, the 30-year-old has already collected four medals at five starts, is the most successful athlete in the title fights. “I think I’m good in mode now,” said Preuss with a grin.

Of course it should be enough for the podium again. “We saw that it is absolutely realistic if everyone simply makes their normal stuff,” said the Bavarian: “Each of us is totally motivated.” Two season wins give confidence.

Men have only been next to the podium for five years

The French are also favored in this race. The team has already won five gold and five bronze five times and surprisingly clearly dominates the World Cup before Norway. Germany also plays a better role than with past major events and can be quite satisfied with gold, once silver and two bronze before the final weekend. Especially since there are four chances. After the seasons, the final mass starts take place at a height of 1400 meters in the Swiss Alps on Sunday.

“As a German team, we always have the right to run on the podium in the men’s area,” said Johannes Kühn before the relay showdown: “This is much more difficult than for women because the competition is simply larger.”

Norway, Sweden or Italy are also allowed to get involved. Since silver 2020 in Antholz, the team has been waiting for a medal, the women are only fighting bronze last year. The times of German series victories are over. The team event is “incredibly important,” said Thuringian Philipp Horn: “I think the men’s team is already hanging a bit all the season.”

“Far from your own expectations”

Again and again they made too many shooting errors and experienced a debacle in the first week of the World Cup without a top 15 place in the individual races. Horn then became over 20 kilometers seventh and showed rising shape. “We are also far from our own expectations and I know from recent years: such a relay medal, it can do everything again,” said Horn: “That’s why I know that it is damn important.”

Horn and his colleagues absolutely want to prevent it, just like at the World Cup two years ago in Oberhof without staying of their own medal. After all, Justus Strelow and Philipp Nawrath have already won bronze badges in the mixed competitions, but it has not been enough in the pure fight man against man. “If we all have our performance, we are definitely a medal candidate at the weekend. And that’s the big goal,” said Horn.