As successful as the Biathlon Junior World Championships in Otepää have been for the German team so far, the DSV selection was very disappointing in the relay race on Friday.
After a thoroughly used day, the DSV trio, consisting of Finn Zurnieden, Korbi Kübler and Lukas Tannheimer, only finished eleventh in the junior relay race. In the end, it took a whopping 3:49 minutes to get to the top.
Gold and the World Championship title were secured by the Norwegian team, which only needed six spares in the six attacks – the fewest in the entire field – and in the end had a lead of an incredible 1:46 minutes over the second-placed French selection (eight spares). . Despite two penalties, bronze went to the team from Italy.
German biathlon relay loses touch early
The race started very badly for the DSV trio. Zurnieden needed two spares in his first attack and fell behind as a result. The 17-year-old also needed an extra cartridge in standing shooting and continued to lose touch. With a deficit of 1:23 minutes, he handed over the relay baton to Kübler in 13th place.
Kübler then started a strong comeback on his lap. The gap to the uncatchable Norwegians grew by another minute, but after two flawless performances at the shooting range, he managed to close the gap to the other nations. From 13th place he brought the DSV selection up to sixth place until the second change.
However, a wasted day by Tannheimer ultimately prevented him from being crowned on the podium. The 16-year-old showed nerves on the shooting range and needed all three spares even while lying prone. There was also a penalty loop while standing, so that the German team fell back to eleventh place by the time they reached the finish.