The last biathlon race of the year will take place without Vanessa Voigt. As the DSV and the 27-year-old herself announced on Sunday, she will not take part in the mass start race in Annecy in consultation with the team doctors. Julia Tannheimer won’t be running either.
“It definitely wasn’t an easy decision not to take part in the mass start today. But to be honest, I’ve had to make much harder decisions this year and have learned that even what feels difficult has to be done sooner or later can pay later,” Voigt announced her decision not to start in an Instagram post.
“Since I’ve been running in the World Cup, I’ve competed in every individual race – it feels all the more important to listen to my body now and give it the break it demands,” added Voigt, who was still in pursuit on Saturday had finished in a strong third place.
Meanwhile, team doctor Katharina Blume explained that Voigt “felt tired and under the weather even before she arrived, which had a significant impact on her recovery. From the start, we had to make new decisions every day. Ultimately, we decided together against taking part in the mass start in order to keep the health risk as low as possible.”
Tannheimer opted out, Preuß started as planned
In addition to Voigt, the German team will also have to do without Julia Tannheimer in the mass start (2:45 p.m. in the live ticker on sport.de). The 19-year-old had already given up the hunt race after a weak sprint. “Julia continues to show symptoms, so she will not take part in the mass start,” explained Blume.
Meanwhile, overall World Cup leader Franziska Preuß will be at the start as planned. Preuss had complained about a sore throat during the sprint on Friday and then skipped the obligatory interviews. When she won the pursuit on Saturday, she said she felt “a bit better again”.