The German Biathlon Association will send six ski hunters to the start of the World Cup in Östersund, Sweden (November 25th). Three places have already been taken internally, but a fight has broken out for the remaining three.
Three places, five contenders: Who will represent Germany at the start of the 2023/24 World Cup season will only be revealed in the coming weeks, as the portal “chiemgau24.de” breaks down. The DSV has a total of six starting places.
It is clear that after the resignation of top biathlete Denise Herrmann-Wick, the cards in the squad will be reshuffled. Vanessa Voigt, Hanna Kebinger and Sophia Schneider are all considered candidates to take the place as the new team leader. The trio was listed by the DSV in the so-called Olympic squad and will definitely compete in the World Cup for the time being.
But according to the report, everything is still open. Anna Weidel (29th) and Janina Hettich-Walz (30th) are two ski hunters who definitely made their mark in the World Cup last season. Juliane Frühwirt, Selina Grotian and Franziska Preuß are also hoping for a nomination. The quintet is in the perspective squad of course group 1A.
Preuß with a slight advantage thanks to the championship gala
The 29-year-old Preuss, a bronze medalist in the relay at the 2022 Olympic Games, should have a slight lead. She won three gold medals at the German Championships in the summer.
However, past performance alone does not play a role in the coaches’ assessment. Training impressions and internal competitions are also included.
After the start at the end of November in Sweden, the biathlon entourage travels to Hochfilzen, Austria. After the turn of the year, we travel via Lenzerheide in Switzerland to the German winter sports strongholds of Oberhof and Ruhpolding for the first time. Athletes who do not initially make it into the World Cup squad will compete in the second-tier IBU Cup. The new season begins there in Kontiolahti, Finland.