Suddenly hunter
Final showdown: So Preuss still gets the crystal ball
03/22/2025 – 7:43 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
Franziska Preuß collected a bitter damper in the fight for the overall World Cup. Now she is the hunter – who can still get the victory.
A gripping final in the Biathlon World Cup is scheduled: After an intensive course of the season, Franziska Preuss goes into the decisive race in Oslo with a minimal gap-and faces the greatest chance of her career. She would have made a success the first German overall World Cup winner in eight years.
In the mass start on Sunday, the decision will be made as to whether Preuss can win the overall World Cup for the first time. With 1,188 points, the 30-year-old is currently five points behind the French Lou JeanMonnot (1,193 points). The deficit is very scarce, because in the Biathlon World Cup there are 90 points per victory, so that the ranking can still move significantly within a race.
Various scenarios are available for Prussia to win the coveted large crystal ball. A victory in the mass start would surely bring her past JeanMonnot, although the French woman came to the finish as second (75 points). A second or third place (65) could also be enough if JeanMonnot crosses her behind her.
It becomes particularly delicate when Prussia gets exactly five points more than her competitor – for example when Prussia is fourth (55) and JeanMonnot fifth (50). Then both would be tied, and due to the higher number of World Cup victories (Jean Monnot: Eight; Prussia: Three), the French woman would be ahead.
Every single duel on the route could be decisive. Especially in the last shooting of the season, the tension is likely to reach its peak. “I will also do my best in Oslo, I can’t do more, we will see what it looks like then. But both Lou and I can already be proud of the season,” said Preuss.
Preuss also gives hope to the previous results in the mass start. In this discipline, the Germans collected 130 points more than Jean Monnot in the course of the season and thus consistently performed.
A success in Oslo would be historical: the last German overall World Cup victory was eight years ago, although Germany had previously been considered a dominant biathlon nation for years.
At that time, Laura Dahlmeier won the large crystal ball in 2017. Magdalena Neuner had previously dominated the World Cup several times. Between 2003 and 2012, Martina Beck (then Glagow), Kati Wilhelm and Andrea Henkel also triumph six times.
In recent years, the dominance had passed to other nations: the Italians Dorothea Wierer and Lisa Vittozzi secured the title three times. In 2023, Frenchwoman Julia Simon ended a longer dry spell on her country and won the overall World Cup for the first time since Sandrine Bailly in 2005.
Now Preuss has the chance to bring this title back to Germany. Whether she succeeds will be shown on Sunday in the crucial mass start (from 1.15 p.m. in the live ticker at T-Online).