In the 2023/24 biathlon winter, Benedikt Doll is the DSV’s outstanding ski hunter with two sprint victories. A fact that cannot, however, hide the fact that things are anything but smooth for the 33-year-old shortly before the start of the World Championships in Nove Mesto (February 7th to February 18th).
Benedikt Doll has a bit of a problem at the moment, especially at the shooting range. Instead of being a great hope for a medal, the leader of the German biathlon team is now traveling to the upcoming World Cup as a problem child. This confirmed 16th place in the mass start in Antholz on Sunday.
One day after the bitter performance in the mixed relay, in which Doll, as the final runner, finally blew away all chances of a solid result with one penalty loop and five spares, the 2017 sprint world champion missed four of 20 targets in the mass start and missed a top 10 place at the next Norwegian men’s gala.
“I’m glad that it’s over. It was a lot of overcoming work. Now the rifle will be put in the corner for a few days,” explained Doll, noticeably resigned, to the “German Press Agency” after his next low blow.
The problems began after the second victory in the biathlon winter
Already in the individual on Thursday, when Johannes Kühn drew attention to himself with a third place, the Black Forest native ended up in 44th place. Previously, in Ruhpolding, with two tickets, he was only good enough for 19th place in the sprint and in the subsequent pursuit after five mistakes, he was only good for 19th place 28th place.
Incidentally, the problems at the shooting range began after Doll’s victory in Oberhof. After his success in the sprint, he finished the hunt race in twelfth place after missing five targets.
Even apart from Doll’s performance, the mood among the German men after the mass start in Antholz was not particularly good: “We don’t need to beat around it. We didn’t show what we wanted to show. A fifth of the field was German. That’s why “Our goal is to get at least one through,” explained sports director Felix Bitterling.
Of the six Germans who started, only Justus Strelow made it into the top 10 on Sunday.