Winter sports news blog
German toboggan stars win three European Championship titles
Updated on January 18, 2025 – 10:03 p.mReading time: 23 minutes
The winter sports season has begun. In our news ticker you will find all the important news about ski jumping, biathlon, alpine skiing and cross-country skiing.
The German toboggan team secured two titles in a duel with rival Austria at the European Championships in Winterberg. Julia Taubitz and the doubles Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt took gold in imperial weather in the Sauerland. In the women’s doubles, Innsbruck European champions Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal took silver.
At the last European Championship there was only one German title, but four for Austria. “I’m really happy about it,” said new national coach Patrick Leitner and was “extremely proud” of his team.
The German cross-country skier Laura Gimmler achieved a respectable success at the World Cup in Les Rousses, France. The 31-year-old from the Allgäu took fourth place in the sprint in the classic technique and missed out on a podium finish by just 1.4 seconds.
Kristine Stavaas Skistand from Norway secured victory ahead of the two Swedes Maja Dahlqvist and Jonna Sundling.
The German biathlete Vanessa Voigt will no longer take part in the remaining races of the home World Cup in Oberhof. The 27-year-old, who had a cold over the Christmas holidays, has still not fully recovered. Therefore, she will not be used in the single mixed relay or in the mixed relay on Sunday.
On Friday, Voigt had only finished 68th in the sprint and thus missed qualifying for the pursuit race. After the competition, she had to be supported by team members and taken to the locker room. Her health had apparently already become noticeable in the run-up to the World Cup: in Le Grand-Bornand at the last World Cup in 2024, she was not fully fit and had also decided not to take part in the World Team Challenge at Schalke.
Sports director Felix Bitterling explained: “Unfortunately it seems that the illness has hit her much harder. It’s about not endangering the rest of the season and especially the World Cup.” It was therefore jointly decided that Voigt would no longer take part in any further missions in Oberhof.
Erik Lesser and Arnd Peiffer recorded a special episode of their podcast “The Biathlon Double Room” in front of 400 biathlon fans in Oberhof. Supported by surprise guest Simon Eder from Austria, the two former world-class athletes chatted about their careers and the current sporting situation on the sidelines of the World Cup in Thuringia.
“It was extremely powerful to sit in front of 400 people. I felt a good spirit,” Lesser is quoted as saying in a press release. Arnd Peiffer added: “The audience was very disciplined. It was super pleasant and relaxed.”
The moderators’ unusual slippers caused amusement: Lesser wore a pair with a “Kackwurst” motif, as the message said. Peiffer decided on a bulldog design.
The proceeds from the evening will be donated. Lesser supports the Thuringian Ski Association to promote young talent, while Arnd Peiffer supports the Bavarian Radio’s Sternstunden charity campaign. The special live atmosphere not only offered exciting insights into the world of biathlon, but also a humorous look behind the scenes of the sport. “Normally we would lie in bed, but that was difficult to do on stage,” said Lesser.