The German biathlon team is going into the Ruhpolding weekend with a slightly different lineup. As the DSV announced on Monday, Sophia Schneider will be rewarded with promotion for her fantastic IBU weekend on Arber. The men are also making a comeback.
Sophia Schneider is rewarded for her heroic deeds in the IBU Cup and is part of the A squad for the first time this season at the Biathlon World Cup in Ruhpolding. The DSV announced this on Monday.
Schneider will initially replace Anna Weidel, who, according to the association, will be part of the squad again in Nove Mesto. Like many other nations in the Czech Republic, the German team will probably rest some top performers for the Olympics.
Schneider earned her promotion with two brilliant performances at the IBU Cup races on the Arber. There she took two second places and was on the podium of an international individual race for the first time since the junior division.
A change for the German biathlon men
There is also news in the German men’s team. Danilo Riethmüller will join the squad again here. He was also in action at the Arber and achieved three top 10 finishes in three races. Philipp Horn is currently unavailable due to illness.
According to biathlon boss Felix Bitterling, the races in Ruhpolding are under “special observation with regard to the Olympic qualifications that are still open. The relevant criteria are known. The aim is that the athletes who have not yet met the standard can present themselves again in Ruhpolding and recommend themselves for the Olympic team.”
The person in charge assessed the performances in Oberhof with caution. Although he has seen “numerous good performances”, but: “At the same time, it is clear that not everything has gone optimally for all athletes and not everyone has been able to achieve their absolute top performance. It is now important to draw the right conclusions from this, improve the relevant points and present themselves from the better side in Ruhpolding.”
The German biathlon team at a glance:
Women:
Selina Grotian
Janina Hettich-Walz
Franziska Preuss
Sophia Schneider
Julia Tannheimer
Vanessa Voigt
Men:
Lucas Fratzscher
Johannes Kühn
Philipp Nawrath
Danilo Riethmüller
Justus Strelow
David Zobel