analysis
The German biathletes made a disappointing start to the Olympic winter. To the next World Cup stop in Le Grand Bornand but they have good memories. Is the knot bursting in the French Alps?
After Franziska Preuß’ overall World Cup victory, all eyes were on her, Janina Hettich-Walz looked in top shape in preparation after her baby break and the young wild ones around Selina Grotian already made you want more last season.
After the first two World Cups, there is now a bit of disillusionment in the German team. Instead of celebrating top results, Preuß once again struggled with her health and, like Grotian, was slowed down by corona disease. Both were unable to compete in Hochfilzen last weekend.
Franziska Preuß missed the World Cup in Hochfilzen.
Biathletes disappoint at the shooting range
Without Preuß and Grotian, the women’s relay team celebrated their first podium finish of the season as a team, but the athletes clearly missed the podium places in the individual races. The big problem: the shooting range. “We are simply too far away from the absolute top. We have to step up our game again.”said women’s head coach Kristian Mehringer.
Anna Weidel was the best German in tenth place. The 29-year-old missed a podium finish with two shooting errors, but was still happy about one “great weekend”. She also impressed in the sprint with eighth place. “I notice that things are looking up,” Weidel said in the Sportschau interview after the race.
Only two Germans in the top 30
However, there was initially no upward trend among the other German starters. For coach Mehringer it was a “mixed result”. After seventh place in the sprint, Vanessa Voigt came 29th in the pursuit and was therefore the second best DSV starter. Marlene Fichtner (31st), Janina Hettich-Walz (33rd), Julia Tannheimer (42nd) and Julia Kink in 49th missed the top 30.
All DSV starters struggled with their shooting, which should improve at the next World Cup stop in Annecy – Le Grand Bornand.
Preuß and Grotian before a comeback
Franziska Preuß and Selina Grotian will probably join the team again there. The two have very good memories of the World Cup races in France last year. Preuß was on the podium in the sprint, pursuit and mass start, and in the pursuit she took her second win of the season. Grotian celebrated her first ever World Cup victory in the mass start.
The sprint is on the program in Le Grand Bornand on Thursday (December 18, 2025, 2:15 p.m. in the sports show ticker). Then it will be seen whether the German biathletes, inspired by their memories, can achieve the first podium of the season.