Winter sports news blog
Ex-biathlon star does podcast in “Kackwurst” slips
Updated on January 10, 2025 – 3:39 p.mReading time: 22 minutes
The winter sports season has begun. In our news ticker you will find all the important news about ski jumping, biathlon, alpine skiing and cross-country skiing.
Erik Lesser and Arnd Peiffer recorded a special episode of their podcast “The Biathlon Double Room” in front of 400 biathlon fans in Oberhof. Supported by surprise guest Simon Eder from Austria, the two former world-class athletes chatted about their careers and the current sporting situation on the sidelines of the World Cup in Thuringia.
“It was extremely powerful to sit in front of 400 people. I felt a good spirit,” Lesser is quoted as saying in a press release. Arnd Peiffer added: “The audience was very disciplined. It was super pleasant and relaxed.”
The moderators’ unusual slippers caused amusement: Lesser wore a pair with a “Kackwurst” motif, as the message said. Peiffer decided on a bulldog design.
The proceeds from the evening will be donated. Lesser supports the Thuringian Ski Association to promote young talent, while Arnd Peiffer supports the Bavarian Radio’s Sternstunden charity campaign. The special live atmosphere not only offered exciting insights into the world of biathlon, but also a humorous look behind the scenes of the sport. “Normally we would lie in bed, but that was difficult to do on stage,” said Lesser.
Thursday, January 9, 2025
Norwegian women are far from the world’s best – that hasn’t happened in biathlon for a long time. After important athletes retired, the current generation is having a hard time. That causes criticism. One TV expert was particularly clear. Read more about this here.
Thursday, January 2, 2025
Ski star Mikaela Shiffrin is nurturing hope for a comeback this winter. The American announced on Instagram that she was making progress and posted a video showing her doing exercises in the fitness room. She still has a ways to go before she’s ready to ski with intensity again, Shiffrin explained. But: She hopes to be able to make a few easy turns in the snow next week.
Shiffrin fell during her home race, the giant slalom in Killington, at the end of November and suffered a severe stab wound in her stomach. She has been out since then. Since the recovery did not initially go as hoped, the 29-year-old had to undergo an operation in mid-December. Shiffrin then reported that fluid was removed and a muscle tear near the pelvis was treated.
Cross-country skiing Olympic champion Victoria Carl continues to turn things up in the Tour de Ski and now has her sights set on a top placement again. In the pursuit race in Toblach over 15 km in classic style, the 29-year-old Thuringian took fourth place, like the day before, and is already seventh in the overall ranking.
Carl, who had unexpectedly fallen behind on the first two days of the tour, was 1:36.6 minutes behind the Norwegian Astrid Öyre Slind, who had already won over 20 km the day before and is now leading the overall ranking.
Friedrich Moch is slowly getting going in the Tour de Ski for cross-country skiers. After a weak start to the stage race, last year’s runner-up finished ninth in the 15-kilometer classic-style pursuit in Toblach on New Year’s Day, thus achieving his first place in the top ten.