Shortly before the World Cup, the German biathletes are weakening at the shooting range. The hope that. Nawrath, Strelow and Co. convince at the season highlight, is still great.
The World Cup in Lenzerheide from February 12th to 23rd is getting closer and closer and more obvious before the season highlight. The shooting shape in particular doesn’t fit. “It is not a happy stretch that is coming together in the past few weeks“Said sports director Felix Bitterling after the” zero number “in Antholz.
The German ski hunters caught the top of the world in the last race in front of the World Cup. At the World Cup in Antholz, Philipp Horn only made it to eleventh place in the persecution. The second best German was taken to Philipp Nawrath in 21st place, Johannes Kühn awarded a better result through a weak standing shooting and finished 27th. David Zobel and Justus Strelow missed the top 30. It was not the World Cup general rehearsal that the German team had hoped for.
Mental problems a reason
The team is allowed to do it “Don’t put on” Leave, Bitterling said. “Keep on, train further and continue to try”that’s his motto. Then be bitterling “Sure that other days will come again” and you the men at the World Cup “In a different constitution” will see.
He sees the cause of the shooting problems, especially in the mental area. “When you hear what the athletes say afterwards and what they deal with on the days before, I believe that it is not completely fearless”, So the sports director: “We have to work on that.”
Early form is gone
At the beginning of last season, the biathletes euphorized the German fans. Philipp Narwath and Roman Rees celebrated the first World Cup triumph. This winter also seemed to start solidly, Nawrath finished third at the start in Finland. But then the drop in performance.
In the meantime, none of the Germans can be found in the top ten overall rating. Nawrath is still the closest to the eleventh. The next DSV athlete, Strelow, can only be found in 17th place. Danilo Riethmüller on 21, Horn on 25, Kühn on 28.
Nawrath looking for the “right speed”
Again and again the athletes have also mentioned the pressure at home races as the reason for the mew performance. The problem is “Between the ears”, Said Bitterling in early January. Everyone feels in front of their own audience “The pressure, we want to do it particularly well”. The upcoming title fights do not take place in front of a home crowd, but the pressure at the World Cup is not less.
In addition to the pressure, Nawrath called another reason: it was “On the one hand between the ears, on the other hand it may also be the setup that everyone has to meet perfectly again“, said the 31-year-old: “This means that you choose the right pace on the round so that you can act properly at the shooting range.”
Prussia as a model for the men
In summer, the men had still shot flawless series, it is said. The nervousness when shooting only came with the World Cup season. Nawrath and Co. with Franziska Preuss would have a role model – especially when it comes to mental strength: “At the moment I can do it quite well that I get the thoughts out of my head”said the 30-year-old recently.
Sometimes, however, athletes achieve the best performance when expectations are smaller. Perhaps Nawrath, Strelow and the rest of the team will also only create the surprise at the World Cup.