Biathlon – back on the road to success with courage and ease – biathlon – winter sports

There is a lack of looseness at the shooting range

Especially since the pressure is not the greatest. With the exception of Vanessa Voigt, Preuss teammates were extremely weak in Oberhof. A “tough weekend” it was, says Eisenbichler. Above all, he demanded one thing: more courage.

“We have to dare to do something. At the World Cup, the shooting range is fired and not much thought is given”, he alludes to the fast shooting times of the competition. The Germans lack looseness. But finding it is not easy, the sports director knows.

Germany is a biathlon nation and has been spoiled by the top performances of the past decades. Now an exceptional athlete is missing. And that creates pressure. Intentionally or unintentionally.

A debutante and a great opportunity

At the DSV if you try a lot, you also give the youngsters a chance. In Ruhpolding, Hanna Kebinger (SC Partenkirchen) will get a taste of the World Cup for the first time. “We want to rejuvenate the team bit by bit without turning the performance principle off its hinges”, Eisenbichler makes clear.

Kebinger could achieve great things: if you make top appearances at home, you can even play for the Olympics, because not all tickets have been issued yet. Nine athletes have met the norm. At least ten, but possibly even eleven German biathletes will be allowed to compete on the new tracks in Beijing.

Olympic routes “fair but challenging”

So far, only Eisenbichler and four technicians who were on site in December are familiar with the system and lines on site. The German sports director describes the route profile as fair for every athlete, but also challenging.

The weather is likely to be exhausting, the athletes have to be prepared for a lot of wind and cold. This is one of the reasons why the biathlon team made a conscious decision to arrive late. “It will take a lot of energy, so I think it’s good not to arrive too many days in advance“says Eisenbichler,

The Germans want to stay in the Central European time zone. That has proven itself in Pyeongchang. “We will get on the plane well prepared”, confirms Eisenbichler and pushes afterwards: “We want to leave negative and arrive negative too.“Of course only in relation to Corona …

Schedule | World Cup in Ruhpolding