After the dream start to the winter at the first World Cup in Östersund, the German biathlon stars were clearly grounded again in Hochfilzen last week. At the third stop in the Swiss ski resort of Lenzerheide it is also clear that the flood of podiums at the start will not become a habit. Also because the conditions were sometimes hard on the ski hunters.
“It’s very exhausting, but I tried not to think about it too much. I tried to tell myself that it’s the same for everyone and that everyone is a little knocked out,” Janina Hettich-Walz commented on the challenging altitude on Thursday the biathlon facility in Lenzerheide.
Hettich-Walz was even able to master the conditions well: in the sprint victory of Frenchwoman Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, she ended up in twelfth place as the second-best German. Thanks to her second top 15 result this season, the 27-year-old also has the association’s internal World Cup standard in her pocket.
DSV hopeful Selina Grotian was hit hard: “My body needs a break. I didn’t fare well on the route,” said young talent Selina Grotian. The five-time youth world champion and reigning European pursuit champion only achieved 38th place despite only one mistake in the sprint. On the course, the 19-year-old was a whopping 2:30.9 minutes short of the best running time set by the former top cross-country skier Anamarija Lampic from Slovenia .
Biathlon talent “undervalued”
“The height separates the wheat from the chaff,” explained DSV sports director Felix Bitterling. “Selina was undervalued. We have to see that we can do a better job with regard to the persecution.”
Lenzerheide lies at almost 1500 meters above sea level. The athletes previously competed in Östersund at just over 300 meters and in Hochfilzen at just under 1000 meters.
The men’s sprint starts on Friday, both pursuers are on the program on Saturday, before the mass starts on Sunday mark the end of the third World Cup.