The German biathletes ended 2024 with two more podium finishes at the World Team Challenge in Schalke. Anna Weidel and Justus Strelow finished second in the pursuit, Franziska Preuß and Philipp Nawrath third.
The now 21st edition of the World Team Challenge in the Schalke Arena on Saturday (December 28th, 2024) ensured an atmospheric end to the year for the biathletes. World Cup points were not awarded in the two mixed competitions, but the approximately 50,000 spectators were still treated to top sporting performances – and in the end they were also able to celebrate two German podium places by Anna Weidel and Justus Strelow as well as Franziska Preuß and Philipp Nawrath.
Weidel/Strelow crossed the finish line in second place after five penalties (+30.4 seconds), followed by World Cup leader Franziska Preuß with Philipp Nawrath (three penalties/+33.1). “The atmosphere was incredible” Strelow said happily afterwards in the ZDF interview. “It was a lot of fun.Weidel concurred: “It’s unique here.“
Norwegian double victory
The Norwegians couldn’t be beaten. Karoline Offigstad Knotten and Sturla Holm Laegreid had already triumphed in the mass start before winning the pursuit. The duo from Scandinavia delivered a strong performance, especially at the shooting range. In the pursuit, 39 of 40 targets fell. “We’d love to come back“, beamed Knotten.
The German biathletes have to continue to wait for their first home win at Schalke since the success of Simon Schempp and Vanessa Hinz in 2016. Preuß and Nawrath started as co-favorites. Preuss in particular traveled to the Ruhr area with a lot of tailwind after two individual victories, several podium finishes and the yellow jersey of the overall World Cup leader in his luggage.
Strong finish in the pursuit
After the mass start, the two German duos started the pursuit in fourth and fifth place. Preuß moved up to third place after the first shooting. While Knotten/Laegreid were already circling lonely at the front, Preuß and Nawrath had worked their way up to second place at the halfway point.
The podium remained hotly contested until the last shooting. Before the final change to Nawrath, Preuß fell behind after a mistake while standing, Weidel passed her teammate and sent Strelow into second position for the last two laps. Just like Nawrath, he made a mistake in the final attack. The two Germans were able to improve their running on the last lap and jump onto the podium.
Knotten/Laegreid also win in the mass start
In the mass start, the two German duos missed the podium. In Knotten/Laegreid’s first victory, Weidel/Strelow finished in fourth place (+1:10 minutes), with Preuß/Nawrath finishing directly behind (+1:16). Preuss in particular had a few problems at the shooting range. The duo received an additional 30 seconds penalty because Preuß accidentally reloaded instead of going into the penalty loop. “I was somehow still in the Christmas blues” she smiled afterwards.
On the shortened course in the Schalke Arena, good shooting performance is even more important. The gap to the French and Norwegians at the top grew early on. Weidel/Strelow were also over a minute behind after the first half of the race, but were able to improve again at the end. However, the podium with Norway, France and Ukraine remained out of reach.
Home World Cups in sight
After the turn of the year, the German biathletes will have two home World Cups in Oberhof (January 9th to 12th) and a week later in Ruhpolding (January 15th to 19th). In front of their own fans, the DSV team wants to build on the previous successful season and gain further self-confidence for the World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland (February 12th to 23rd).