Without making any mistakes on the shooting range, Selina Grotian and Franziska Preuß achieved the next top result and the second double podium this winter for the DSV in the sprint in Antholz. Only the Frenchwoman Lou Jeanmonnot was faster than the two Germans.
In the last sprint race before the upcoming Biathlon World Championships in Lenzerheide, two Germans pushed themselves into the narrow circle of favorites with a top placement. Selina Grotian (Mittenwald) and Franziska Preuß (Haag) each remained faultless at the shooting range and secured a German “double podium” with second and third place.
Selina Grotian suddenly among the favorites for the World Cup
Selina Grotian, who had already won the mass start race in Le Grand Bornand this winter, finally declared herself among the world’s best with a courageous performance. The 20-year-old from SC Mittenwald is suddenly one of the extended favorites for the upcoming World Cup.
Franziska Preuß already had this aura before. The 30-year-old from SC Haag underlined her strong form in Antholz. At the dress rehearsal for the biathlon competitions at the 2026 Winter Olympics, she defended her lead in the overall World Cup (ahead of Jeanmonnot) and in the World Cup sprint ranking with third place.
Grotian: “Couldn’t be happier”
“I couldn’t be happier,” said a beaming Grotian on ZDF. “We had incredibly fast skis, I gave it my all, but unfortunately it wasn’t quite enough for Lou”said the Upper Bavarian, who scored her fourth goal while standing (“It felt very tight”) also had the necessary bit of luck..
Two Germans on the podium – that had already happened once this winter. But this is encouraging so close to the World Championships. Only Frenchwoman Lou Jeanmonnot was faster than the DSV duo that day. She also remained flawless at the shooting range, but took valuable seconds from Grotian on the cross-country ski trail. At the finish she was 7.2 seconds ahead of second place and 16.7 seconds ahead of Franziska Preuß.
Franziska Preuß satisfied: “Goal accomplished”
“My goal was to get on the podium in Antholz because I hadn’t achieved that yet. So goal accomplished,” said Preuss on ZDF. Especially when it comes to shooting, she currently has it “Everything is under control, it’s really fun”.
Franziska Preuß in action
Winner Jeanmonnot was cool in the interview about her fifth win of the season: “I’ve already shown some good sprints, but getting a clean sheet was the main goal today”said the Frenchwoman. Looking at the overall World Cup standings, she trusts Preuß to defend her lead until the end: “Franzi is so strong, she seems untouchable.”
Dorothea Wierer reports back
Other favorites, such as the French Julia Simon (0 shooting errors/+ 38.0 seconds) or the Swede Hanna Öberg (1/+ 57.5), were among the defeated on the converted race track in South Tyrol. The Italian Dorothea Wierer returned to the top ten with fourth place (1/+28.0) just in time for the season’s highlight.
In total there were only four DSV ski hunters at the start in Antholz. For Sophia Schneider (Teisendorf/2/+1:41.1 minutes) and Stefanie Scherer (Warngau/1/+2:16.1) things didn’t go quite as hoped. In the end there were places 28 and 54.