The German biathlon team has to cope with the next serious failure shortly before the start of the World Cup weekend in Lenzerheide.
As the DSV announced on Thursday, Sophia Schneider will miss the competitions in Switzerland and will therefore not compete in any more races in 2023.
“Sophia Schneider will not be taking part in any more competitions in Lenzerheide this weekend. Since the last competitions in Östersund, Sophia has been feeling a bit under the weather and not 100 percent fit. The prevailing circumstances, such as the weather and altitude in Lenzerheide, have now worsened the situation , so Sophia will leave today to recover in peace at home,” explained the DSV in the person of team doctor Katharina Blume.
Schneider’s comeback was firmly planned
Schneider’s comeback in Switzerland was actually planned after she had to cancel her participation in the relay a few days ago in Hochfilzen due to a cold. The 26-year-old’s return has now been delayed until the first World Cup in the new year. She will not join the German team again in Oberhof until the beginning of January.
The winter of 2023/24 started with a real bang for Schneider when she sensationally finished fifth in the Östersund individual. Afterwards, however, some sand got into the gears of the Traunsteiner, who missed the top 10 in each of her other four individual races.
Numerous failures in the Biathlon World Cup
Schneider is by no means the only prominent athlete who will miss all or part of the competitions in Switzerland. Numerous big names have already had to cancel their start in the first races for health reasons, including the Swede Sebastian Samuelsson and the French Lou Jeanmonnot.
The German team was also hit by another failure recently. Just a few days ago, the DSV announced that Roman Rees would also not be available for the races in Lenzerheide.