Debacle, triumph, parental visit
Biathlon star Doll on a completely crazy farewell tour
March 3, 2024, 8:49 p.m
Benedikt Doll makes it onto the podium again. One day after the weakest race of his career, the biathlete came second in Oslo and narrowly avoided a penalty lap in the relay. There is little else for German joy at Holmenkollen.
The return to the World Cup podium the day after the worst race of his career came as a surprise even to Benedikt Doll. “That’s something very special and I’m really happy that it worked out like that again. That gives me motivation to keep going at full throttle,” said the Black Forest native after second place in the mass start in Oslo. Less than 24 hours earlier, he had experienced a fiasco as 74th in the first race after announcing his retirement at the end of the season. On Saturday he provided the German highlight at the legendary Holmenkollen. “It can continue like this,” said the 33-year-old Doll.
Parents and home trainers had traveled to Norway specifically to be part of his surprisingly crazy farewell tour at the last performances in Europe. In seventh place, Doll is now the best non-Norwegian in the overall World Cup, and four podium places this winter also represent a record for the veteran. In the end there was nothing left to celebrate with the mixed relay. The German quartet with Janina Hettich-Walz, Sophia Schneider, Doll and Philipp Nawrath only managed fifth place when the French won.
This Sunday, Doll risked everything again in the standing stage – and was not rewarded for it. With his three spares he barely avoided a penalty. “I risked a little too much,” said Doll on ZDF.
Even Doll’s next victory was possible
On the completely messed up Friday, Doll hardly thought that he would even be able to set personal records. The individual performance, in which he had won World Cup bronze a good two weeks earlier, was a low point, with seven penalty minutes and more than nine minutes behind, a real debacle. “That really smelled to me,” said Doll, and instead turned his gaze straight back to the front. “I had a lot more fun and am super happy with second place,” he said after the phenomenal improvement.
Even his third win of the season over 15 kilometers seemed possible. Two mistakes in the last shooting ultimately prevented that – and the Norwegian Sturla Holm Laegreid took advantage of the mistakes to achieve a celebrated home victory. “I made life unnecessarily difficult for myself,” said Doll, who was only 6.4 seconds behind the front runner at the finish.
Doll still has five individual competitions left at the stations in Soldier Hollow/USA and Canmore before the old master ends his career in Canada on March 17th and devotes himself to family life. All attempts at persuasion to continue for another year didn’t help until the end. The German team will miss Doll because his podium finish concealed the current weakness, especially among the women.
German women far from the podium
Sophia Schneider was the best in the mass start on Saturday in 18th place. There are currently no chances of top placements after Franziska Preuß was again out due to illness and Vanessa Voigt was weak. “With the women, we are given a few puzzles as to why we are losing so much time on the route,” said sports director Felix Bitterling from the German Ski Association: “That’s one thing that we really have to analyze as quickly as possible, including in the direction of the two of them North American World Cups.”
The plane will take you to Salt Lake City on Monday, and the next competitions will take place in Utah on Friday. The men don’t have to worry as much, because Philipp Nawrath, sixth in the mass start, and Justus Strelow, eighth, also showed strong performances in Oslo. In the single mixed relay on Sunday, Strelow was again in a good mood, but two penalties from teammate Selina Grotian prevented her from finishing more than sixth. The 19-year-old was taking part in this non-Olympic competition for the first time and didn’t always have her nerves under control. “It really annoys me,” said Grotian.