Germany’s biathlon hope Marlene Fichtner was one of the bright spots in the DSV team last winter, but the biggest “surprise of the season” was that the fans did not vote for the 23-year-old in an online vote by the IBU world association. Instead, the title went to the young Latvian, who suddenly found herself at the forefront in the final phase of the season.
The only 21-year-old Latvian Estere Volfa secured the title of biggest “surprise of the season” with a clear lead in a fan vote by the IBU World Biathlon Association. Volfa received 46.2 percent of the vote, putting him well ahead of the other three biathlon stars who were also up for election.
Marlene Fichtner, who really put herself at the top of the world for the first time last winter, came third in the election. She received 19.7 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, 25 percent of the votes went to Frenchwoman Camille Bened, who came in a strong tenth place in the overall World Cup.
Norwegian Isak Frey had no chance of winning the fan vote. He only received 9.1 percent of the vote.
Fichtner causes a surprise in Kontiolahti
Fichtner initially struggled in the World Cup at the beginning of the season, but after the Olympic Games she caused a big surprise in Kontiolahti when she came fifth in the individual and even fourth in the mass start.
Volfa was also slow to get off the ground at first. At the Olympic Games, of all places, the 20-year-old made a big impression and, among other things, came 16th in the sprint and eleventh in the pursuit. They were by far her best results on the big stage to date.
But the most successful of the nominees was Bened. The Frenchwoman made her way into the A squad and justified her trust, among other things, as a member of the Olympic women’s relay team that won gold. She also stood on the World Cup podium in Ruhpolding and Östersund.
