Astrid Öyre Slind was unbeatable on the second stage of the Tour de Ski. After 10 km, the Norwegian was seven seconds ahead of the Austrian Teresa Stadlober. Jessie Diggins from the USA came third (+ 8.8 seconds). The German starters impressed with a good team result.
Above all, Katharina Hennig Dotzler, who really stepped up her game in Toblach. In tenth place, the Olympic champion broke the Olympic standard in the team sprint. After the difficult preparation for the season, Hennig Dotzler took a load off his mind at the finish. “I’m just relieved. The last few weeks haven’t been easy mentally. I’m incredibly grateful that I have the ticket in my pocket and can go to my third games,” said the 29-year-old with shining eyes in an interview with Sportschau.
Contact lenses cause problems
Her contact lenses almost jeopardized her good placement. “My contact lens was frozen. At the finish I felt pressure on the front of my head and I was very dizzy. I’m just glad I didn’t lose it. If the diopter was minus eight the race would have been over,” said Hennig Dotzler.
Rydzek inspired by the podium
Coletta Rydzek also underlined her good form: Inspired by her 2nd place in the sprint the day before, the Oberstdorfer made it to 15th place – her best result over 10 km. “I enjoyed being on the road with the silver number and being able to show my performance over 10 km,“said the sprint specialist, who was able to defend her second place in the overall ranking.
Katherine Sauerbrey crossed the finish line right behind the Oberstdorfer: “I was able to push myself and had a really good race.”
National coach Schlickenrieder satisfied with Team performance
Six of the seven German starters made it into the top 30. The national coach was correspondingly satisfied. “Katha passed the psychologically important sound barrier. And I can be very satisfied with the team’s performance,” said Peter Schlickenrieder.