Artificial snow, fiddling with the material, no chance of medals: At the Biathlon World Championships in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, the Germans only ran and ran in the first week. On Sunday, the DSV men played no role in the pursuit either; among the women, who were once spoiled for success, Franziska Preuß was still the best German biathlete in sixth place in the sprint and pursuit.
In the Deutschlandfunk interview, Michael Rösch, who as a biathlete won gold in the relay for Germany at the 2006 Winter Olympics, took stock of the situation. Of course, performance at the shooting range is also an issue, but: “You can see it in the running times – I would take Franzi Preuß out a little bit – they simply don’t have access to a medal at any time.”
Rösch: “Anyone who sets off with a flat tire will not be a winner”
Rösch, who is also experienced as a trainer and TV expert, addressed what he saw as the decisive factor for Germany’s lack of success in the Czech Republic: “I can put it this way: it’s really just a battle of materials. And the Germans are having difficulty finding the right thing Setup.”
The 40-year-old judged the skis to run poorly in plus-degree temperatures on the soft artificial snow: “If the skis just come off your feet so ‘rubbly’ like sandpaper, then you just can’t make any progress. You can imagine it like on the tour de France [Rad-Rundfahrt in Frankreich, d. Red.]”If someone starts off with a flat tire, they won’t be a winner.”
After all, the material is now simply of crucial importance, also in relation to running and shooting performance. “If you have a cucumber under your foot, the men’s sprint lasts 10 kilometers, that’s almost 25 minutes. Then that multiplies.”
Rösch’s analysis is also supported by the fact that the preparation and the World Cup races had been successful beforehand: “Men and women were competitive throughout the entire season.” Benedikt Doll, who has also not played a role in the Czech Republic so far, sprinted to first place at the home World Cup in Oberhof a little over a month ago.
There is a need for discussion when preparing for skis
But now the Germans are encountering unfamiliar, unfavorable conditions in Nove Mesto. The German chief technician Sebastian Hopf also identified this. The conditions are “pretty extreme,” he said in a media round: “In addition to these already very rare wet conditions, there is also dirt and no frost overnight. That is quite challenging for us.” “Durability” in particular is a problem.
As 15th in the pursuit on Sunday, Vanessa Voigt refrained from criticizing the material and didn’t want to blame the disappointments on that alone, but made it clear: “I really had to fight back tears. You work your ass off for a whole year and then something like that at the climax. I don’t want to prejudge anything, but I think we need to talk about it.”
Biathlon sports director Felix Bitterling is also aware of this: “The first feedback was relatively clear that the skis weren’t great again. We don’t need to beat around it. Especially with the Franzi, it obviously hurts with the shooting performance and the condition, she is in. With good skis she can run up there.”
Fluorine ban challenges all nations
Good skis, which guaranteed the use of fluorine during waxing for a long time. The water and dirt repellent function would be useful in the conditions in Nove Mesto. But since this season it has been banned in all ski sports and also in biathlon; fluorine is harmful to the environment and carcinogenic. The technical teams now have to get creative.
Rösch emphasized that this also challenges the other delegations: “The material is not only a big issue for the Germans, which is really giving many nations a headache. Norway also has a bit of a problem with the women’s sprint, I’ll put it bluntly Grabbed the toilet. It’s a very fine line at the moment.”
Rösch made it clear with regard to the German technical team: “I don’t want to blame them at all. I see them here every day from morning to evening, they cover an average of 30 kilometers a day to test. But it’s justified The question, of course, is: Why do others do it better?”
The ex-biathlete stated: “Apparently it’s just the case that other nations have found exactly the right screw on the setup.” This affects, among other things, the hand structure as the top layer during preparation. Because: “You have to imagine that the ski has a structure – similar to a car tire. The water has to be transported away and that hasn’t worked so far.”
The search for the “secret recipe for skis”
In any case, there is hope among the biathletes that the “reset button” (Vanessa Voigt) will be found in the second week of the World Cup. The women’s singles is on Tuesday (5:10 p.m./ARD). Franziska Preuß hopes to find a “secret recipe for the skis” by then.
And Benedikt Doll also believes in improvement: “We just have to get everything to fit together. Running, shooting and skiing – then we’ll be there.”