Two season bests in the German team
But not only Herrmann could be happy about a good placement from a German point of view, Franziska Hildebrand and Janina Hettich also ran a strong race. Both ran ninth and twelve personal bests of the season. Vanessa Voigt (14th) also made it into the top 15.
“That fits with seventh place. I had a really hard time on the track today. It got pretty deep. I’m more of a power runner, so a lot of things fizzle out in the snow. I had a bit to do against the small and light ones. I’m happy with the shooting“, Herrmann explained ZDF.
Stick and shooting range challenge the active
Many of the favorites had opted for a low start number. With spring-like temperatures at Holmenkollen, a softening and therefore slower track was expected, which is why it was better to get out on the track as early as possible. So it’s not surprising that the top three have a single-digit start number.
But not on the running lap, some athletes should also have problems at the shooting range. The usual tricky facility in the shadow of the large ski jump caused some shifts in the classification.
Voigt with the first mistake after 40 hits
As the first of the five DSV-Starters Vanessa Voigt had started the race. After she had all 40 shots on target in Otepää, Estonia last week, this time her first attempt went directly wrong. Although she remained standing without missing a shot, she had already lost a minute to the top in the cross-country ski run and due to rather slow shooting. It should be a little more to the finish.
Denise Herrmann hit all targets while lying down, although she readjusted the diopter after the third hit. She made a mistake in standing and wasn’t as fast as usual due to the snow conditions on the track.
Hildebrand convinces at the shooting range
Franziska Hildebrand, who oscillated between the World Cup and the IBU Cup this season and was not nominated for the Olympic Games in Beijing either, put in a decent performance, hit all ten attempts and was able to secure her first top ten placement in this season happy winter.
Janina Hettich was beaming after a season that was also changeable about her twelfth place: “Once again, zero mistakes in the sprint was my big goal. I managed that, even if it was a bit weaker in terms of running. Still, I’m happy with the result.” Franziska Preuss missed a top placement with three penalties in standing and fell far behind as a result. She ended up 45th.
Source: rho