Zhangjiakou (dpa) – Germany’s best cross-country skier Katharina Hennig sees herself and her team well prepared for the extreme cold at the Olympic races in China.
“We have to accept the cold as it is. We are winter sports enthusiasts, so we are prepared for it,” said the 25-year-old of the German Press Agency. “Especially in Ruka and Lillehammer it was cold this season,” she added, referring to the World Cup races in Finland and Norway. “We masked our faces and found a solution to everything possible so that we could run a competition. We were already prepared for that.”
Temperatures in the two-digit minus range prevail on the Olympic cross-country skiing tracks in Zhangjiakou. Cold wind also makes conditions more difficult.
Hennig has a podium place in the World Cup this season. In Ruka at the end of November she was third over ten kilometers in the classic technique. Hennig is not one of the favorites for a medal at the Winter Games. However, she has outsider chances.
The women’s skiathlon on February 5 (8:45 a.m.) is the first decision in the cross-country skiing competitions. Katharina Hennig leads the four-strong German squad. In addition to the 25-year-old from Oberwiesenthal, Pia Fink (Münsingen), Sofie Krehl (Oberstdorf) and Katherine Sauerbrey (Hallenberg) should also start in the competition. In the skiathlon, the athletes run 7.5 kilometers in the classic technique and 7.5 kilometers in the skating technique. The Germans are not among the favorites in Zhangjiakou.