There was no podium finish for the German biathletes to celebrate at the sprint in Hochfilzen. Benedikt Doll was the best German ski hunter in seventh place.
After the strong start in Östersund, the German biathletes were unable to make it onto the podium in the sprint in Hochfilzen on Friday (December 8th, 2023). Benedikt Doll only missed the mark. The 33-year-old had to go into the penalty loop once and achieved the best German result in seventh place. “In terms of running, things went better than in Östersund,” said Doll after the race. He really enjoys running in Hochfilzen, “because it allows me to exert myself.”
Johannes Kühn, eighth in the Östersund sprint, also achieved a top ten result despite an extra lap. “I suffered a lot on the final lap, but overall it was a good race and a good starting position for the pursuer,” said Kühn, analyzing the competition on the difficult route.
Victory goes to Tajei Bö
A Norwegian celebrated the victory. Tarjei Bö was the best ski hunter with 24:37.5 minutes and zero mistakes. Teammate Sturla Holm Laegreid (+4.9 seconds) stormed into second place behind him. Sebastian Samuelsson (+10) came third.
High-flyer Johannes Thingnes Bö, on the other hand, continues to search for the formula for success of recent years. After a strong start, the Norwegian missed three shots in the second stage and finished in 11th place.
Strelow and Zobel are well on their way
Justus Strelow also had a strong result with 15th place. “I had to shoot today, things didn’t go well in terms of running,” he said in an ARD interview after the race. David Zobel crossed the finish line in 26th place. Roman Rees, winner of the 20-kilometer race in Östersund, missed out on a top-30 place with two penalties.
Nawrath has to give up the yellow jersey
Things didn’t go so well for Philipp Nawrath, sprint winner from Östersund. The 30-year-old received two penalties while lying down and had to say goodbye to the chance of the next podium place early on. “It’s a shame if the race starts like this,” said Nawrath. Since there was also a mistake while standing, the Allgäu native, who was also struggling with his running performance, missed the top 30. As a result, Nawrath loses the yellow jersey of the World Cup leader.