After a manageably successful performance at the first home World Cup in Oberhof, the German Biathlon Association has reacted and made three changes for the upcoming races in Ruhpolding (from January 15th).
In the women’s category, 20-year-old Julia Kink gets a break, while Stefanie Scherer joins the squad for Kink. Scherer recently impressed with two top 10 places at the IBU Cup in Arber. Scherer was previously only active in the World Cup in 2019/20.
Selina Grotian, Sophia Schneider and Julia Tannheimer remain in the team, as does Franziska Preuß, who defended the yellow jersey in Oberhof despite some less strong results. Vanessa Voigt is also nominated, but whether the 27-year-old can start will only be decided at short notice. This was explained by sports director Felix Bitterling.
“If Vanessa can’t start, we won’t take any risks with regard to the World Championships and Marlene Fichtner will join the team for her,” continued Bitterling.
For the men, Roman Rees and David Zobel return to the team thanks to solid performances in the second-tier IBU Cup.
German biathletes are looking forward to an “exciting week”
Rees, who was one of DSV’s bright spots last winter, wasn’t even active in the World Cup this season after health problems during preparation. Zobel got his chance at the start in Kontiolahti, Finland, but couldn’t take advantage of it. Philipp Horn and Simon Kaiser, who could move up as reservists, have to give way. Horn should even start safely in the mass start on Sunday if he is not pushed out of the top 25 in the overall ranking.
Philipp Nawrath, Justus Strelow, Danilo Riethmüller and Johannes Kühn make up the rest of the squad.
“We are looking forward to another exciting week in Ruhpolding! The conditions on site – from the routes to the stadium to the shooting range – are optimal. The 4 km lap for the men’s individual in particular promises exciting races. The weather forecasts too are promising, so we can expect ideal conditions for the entire World Cup,” said Bitterling, giving a positive outlook.
The program for Ruhpolding:
– Wed, January 15, 2025, 2:10 p.m. (CET): Men, individual 20 km
– Thu, January 16, 2025, 2:10 p.m. (CET): Women, individual 15 km
– Fri, January 17, 2025, 2:20 p.m. (CET): Men, relay 4 x 7.5 km
– Sat., January 18, 2025, 2:20 p.m. (CET): Women, 4 x 6 km relay
– Sun, January 19, 2025, 12:30 p.m. (CET): Men, mass start 15 km
– Sun., January 19, 2025, 3:00 p.m. (CET): Women, mass start 12.5 km