Biathlon star angry
Preuß: “You trudge through this muck”
January 9, 2025 – 5:08 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Franziska Preuß has to settle for 28th place in the Oberhof sprint. Afterwards she struggles with the conditions.
It should have been a home race to enjoy, but for Franziska Preuß the World Cup in Oberhof turned into a disappointment in pouring rain and difficult conditions. After her sobering 28th place, the 30-year-old did not spare any criticism, especially of the International Biathlon Union (IBU).
“My race was bad. A lot came together,” said Preuss and was annoyed about the start regulations. She doesn’t understand “why the red starting group wasn’t moved forward.” You knew “that it was raining like hell and the track was getting softer and softer. You should have reacted. I don’t understand that.”
According to Preuss, the conditions made it almost impossible to perform well: “You trudge through the wet mud and notice that you can’t move. It’s stupid when you have disadvantages.”
The German Ski Association (DSV) had previously called for a shift in the starting order, but failed in its request. DSV sports director Felix Bitterling also showed understanding for Preuß’ frustration: “If this is not weather in which the order is reversed, then I don’t know when such weather should be.”
In the surprising victory of the Frenchwoman Paula Botet, who remained error-free, Preuß was far behind with three shooting errors and a gap of 2:00.2 minutes. So she starts the 10 kilometer pursuit on Saturday (from 12.30 p.m. in the t-online live ticker) with a difficult starting position. Nevertheless, the Bavarian was combative: “It doesn’t help. You just have to fight your way back forward.”