Youngster Selina Grotian is about to make her debut at the Biathlon World Championships in Nove Mesto. The 19-year-old was nominated for the individual race together with Franziska Preuß, Vanessa Voigt and Janina Hettich-Walz.
Young biathlon hopeful Selina Grotian is about to make her World Cup debut in Nove Mesto. The 19-year-old will be competing in the 15 kilometer individual title fights in the Czech Republic on Tuesday (5:10 p.m./live on the first and in the Sportschau ticker). The German quartet is completed by Franziska Preuß, Vanessa Voigt and Janina Hettich-Walz. “Selina trained very well, both in preparation in Ridnaun and here. She is very stable, very lively and was also really good at the shooting range,” said sports director Felix Bitterling on Monday.
Grotian can get a taste of the World Cup
Grotian and 21-year-old Johanna Puff traveled to the highlight of the season even without fulfilling the World Cup standard. Now at least Grotian can gain his first experience. The five-time junior world champion, who is considered the greatest talent since Magdalena Neuner and Laura Dahlmeier, ran in the World Cup from the start. After mixed performances with places between 21 and 77, she was no longer part of the A team in Ruhpolding and ran again in the second-class IBU Cup before returning to the elite league at the World Cup dress rehearsal in Antholz.
Good example Laura Dahlmeier
“She has also shown a few times in the World Cup that she can run well. She just hasn’t quite managed to get the shooting and running performance together on one day. But Nove Mesto wouldn’t be a bad place to be to bring it together,” Bitterling said. A good example was Laura Dahlmeier. The then 19-year-old traveled to Nove Mesto in 2013 as a World Cup reservist without a World Cup appearance. Surprisingly, the later two-time Olympic champion and seven-time world champion was nominated for the relay and brought the team from eighth place to the top as the only flawless German shooter – even if in the end fifth place was not enough for a medal.