World Cup in Ruhpolding
Changes in the German biathlon squad
January 15, 2025 – 9:14 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
After Oberhof, the German biathletes will now stop in Ruhpolding. A changed squad will start in Bavaria.
Things are going very well for the German biathletes. Franziska Preuß is the leader in the overall World Cup. 20-year-old Selina Grotian is also in eighth place, Vanessa Voigt in tenth place (you can read more about the upswing here). The German team is now heading to Oberhof in Ruhpolding in Bavaria – but with changes to the squad, as the German Ski Association (DSV) announced.
For the women, Stefanie Scherer replaces Julia Klink, “who will take a break,” explains biathlon sports director Felix Bitterling. Vanessa Voigt was recently injured. According to Bitterling, whether and when it will be launched will be decided in the “short term”. Either “for the individual or at the latest for the mass start”. If Voigt is not ready for action, Marlene Fichtner would move up to the team.
There are also innovations for men. So Philipp Horn is no longer there; according to Bitterling, like Klink, he is getting “a break” in order to “work on shooting again at home with his trainer.” Horn took 45th place in the pursuit in Oberhof and made six shooting errors. He also missed the targets four times in the sprint and took 44th place. He could “be at the start again in the mass start, otherwise it will be that time in Antholz.”
Simon Kaiser is also currently in the squad as a reserve. Roman Rees and David Zobel are there again. Justus Strelow, who ranks 19th in the overall World Cup for men, said before the start in Ruhpolding: “The home World Cups are always something special, and I’m looking forward to the coming week. My goal is to take the momentum from Oberhof with me, Confirm the positive trend while running and finish cleanly at the shooting range. Then we’ll see what results come out of it.”