The German women’s biathlon relay team performed admirably at the World Cup in Hochfilzen despite an acute shortage of personnel. The victory went to Norway again.
Fifth place in a relay race is actually not what the German biathletes want. On Sunday (December 10th, 2023) in Hochfilzen, the result was definitely respectable.
With the skeleton crew of Selina Grotian, Janina Hettich-Walz, Marion Wiesensarter and Vanessa Voigt, the German ski hunters defied the numerous failures over the 4×6 kilometers team. Wiesensarter in particular was convincing in her worldcup-Debut this winter with a great race.
Norway cannot be beaten again
As with the men, Norway also triumphed among the women. Juni Arnekleiv, Marit Ishol Skogan, Karoline Offigstad Knotten and Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold only used six spares and crossed the finish line 31.6 seconds ahead of Sweden (10 spares) and France (8/+1:01.5 minutes).
Germany had to reload a total of seven times and ended up 1:22.9 minutes behind the leaders. “I’m incredibly proud of the girls,” said final runner Voigt in the Sportschau interview. “We have a great one today job and made the best of it.”
wave of illness decimates DSV team
Even before the start it was clear that it would be a difficult undertaking for the German biathletes. Sophia Schneider was out for a short time with symptoms of infection. Franziska Preuß and Hanna Kebinger had previously left Austria due to a corona infection. Since Anna Weidel was also unable to work for health reasons, Wiesensarter was ordered to Hochfilzen at short notice.
Dream debut for Wiesensarter
“I was warned last night. This morning they said: ‘Marion, you have to go now'”, Wiesensarter gave an insight into her debut. Because their car broke down on Saturday, their parents had to drive about an hour from their home in Bavaria to Tyrol for the unexpected mission. “I couldn’t think too much about it and just tried to make the best of it.”
And she did. Although Wiesensarter, unlike the competition, was not familiar with the condition of the track in Hochfilzen, she delivered a strong race. Although she lost a few seconds on the cross-country ski trail, her performance at the shooting range was even stronger: the 28-year-old Bavarian scored five direct hits while lying down and Wiesensarter only managed one spare while standing. She handed over to final runner Voigt in an excellent fifth place.
Grotian impresses as a starting runner
Starting runner Grotian had already impressed. The five-time junior world champion coped very well at the shooting range, not only shooting quickly but also without making any mistakes. Although the 19-year-old couldn’t quite keep up with the high pace on the course, she once again showed a strong performance in the standing stage with only one spare shot and even took the lead at one point.
“It was very exciting, I wouldn’t have put myself in first place”Grotian smiled after the race. “But it was a challenge and it worked out great. Relays are my thing.”
Hettich roller with four reloaders
As the second runner, Hettich-Walz lost a few seconds until the first shooting. She also had to reload twice while lying prone. In fourth place, the gap to the podium remained small. Since the 27-year-old also needed two extra cartridges for the second shooting, she handed over to Wiesensarter just under a minute behind.
“When I was lying down, I don’t know what it was. When I was standing, I wobbled quite a bit.”said Hettich-Walz afterward, disappointed. “There just wasn’t much going on on the track this weekend.”
Voigt missed fourth place
Final runner Voigt started the race a good minute behind leaders Norway. The podium was only 30 seconds away. However, Norway, Sweden and France did not show any weaknesses at the shooting range, but Voigt caught up with the Italians in fourth place.
While Tandrevold confidently completed the double success after the men’s event for Norway, Voigt lost sight of fourth place with a spare shot in the last shooting. On the final lap she was no longer able to catch up with Italy. “I wanted to shoot quickly. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do it well while standing. I hesitated far too long with the first shot.”Voigt complained afterwards.