It’s a little biathlon fairy tale. Denise Herrmann-Wick had wished for nothing more than a gold medal at the World Championships at home – perhaps her last major appearance. The fact that the dream came true in the sprint also has to do with a sugar-sweet recipe for success.
He wound his way through the snow around the podium, 22 wagons long, lined up one behind the other and bobbing to the rhythm of the music – a human train, consisting of the German national biathlon team. While the party hit and the self-proclaimed anthem of the German athletes “The train has no brakes” thundered over the loudspeakers in the stadium.
“It’s good that our song became a bit of daily business today. Today the day will definitely be enjoyed.”, Denise Herrmann-Wick’s facial expression gave no reason to doubt this statement even a bit. 20 minutes earlier she had become world champion in the sprint in a near-perfect race.
Denise Herrmann-Wick withstands the pressure
She had withstood the pressure, because before the competition, when asked about the top favorite, the same name kept popping up: Denise Herrmann-Wick. “I didn’t really notice that much and that was really good. Every competition is a new one, so of course the experience I’ve had helps me. Anything is possible again and again. All or nothing. You have to Seize the moment and stay in the moment – I managed that quite well today.”
The 34-year-old had won two sprints this winter and started the race in the red jersey as the leader in the discipline World Cup. It was a thriller on the final lap, which Herrmann-Wick won thanks to an outstanding mileage. As so often this season, she was the fastest woman on the trail and also shot clean.
Thomas Wick – “Egg liquor donuts are our recipe for success”
And something else could have had a positive effect on her performance, revealed her husband Thomas Wick, who had cheered her on the track, with a wink: “She was overly relaxed – I arranged for an eggnog donut delivery again, that’s always our little recipe for success. I brought it for her and then we got friends from the team to join us and we ate the donuts with relish .”
Wick, who is a former cross-country skier himself, also seemed overjoyed in the finish area. He accompanied his wife to many stations and World Cups of the current season and drove to the training camp with her: “I don’t think anyone is as close to her as I am to knowing how hard she has worked for everything. She really wanted that sprint win – that this dream has now come true is still a little incomprehensible.”
From the express train to the slow train
After the flower ceremony, an interview marathon for the new world champion began. She ran through the mixed zone from microphone to microphone and answered the journalists’ questions with a permanent smile. As fast as she had been on the track, she now took her time. So instead of the express train, it’s more of a slow train – with the next stop at the press conference.
After she had answered everything here too and the crowd of questioners had at some point dispersed, it was on to the doping control, where the two Swedes, who finished second and third, were already waiting. Almost two and a half hours had passed since they crossed the finish line. The floodlights had long been switched on in the stadium and dusk was in full swing when Denise Herrmann-Wick came out of a glass door at the back entrance to the doping control and was still smiling.
Hermann-Wick – “A dream comes true”
Just as they were about to get into the shuttle service car, the last fans came trudging out of the VIP tent and they too got a selfie with the world champion. “I just begrudge her so much because she’s human. She just stayed down to earth and never lifted off.”described one of the fans.
Denise Hermann-Wick was also full of praise. It seemed like she wanted to share her win on Friday with everyone: “A home World Cup makes me tingle a bit more than usual. A dream comes true for me. And when you get so much support from the side, that pushes you again. You actually know someone here in every corner and that’s there trust, of course.”
As a favorite in Sunday’s pursuit
And then the black sports car with the golden 1 on the bonnet drove into Oberhof night, towards the barracks at Grenzadler, where the German team lived during these world championships. Even if Denise Herrmann-Wick is already waiting for the next competition on Sunday with the pursuit race, it is difficult to imagine that the party train will pull the brakes too early that night.