Doll puzzles over his first mistake
“It really hurt” – Strelow struggles to achieve the top result
January 13, 2024, 6:29 p.m
Benedikt Doll won two sprints in a row, this mini-series ends at the home World Cup in Ruhpolding. This time no German made it onto the podium. Because no one gets through without making mistakes. The best is Justus Strelow, who thanks the fans for their great support.
Doll only struggled briefly in the finish area. “I’m not that dissatisfied,” admitted the Black Forester after his 19th place in the sprint at the home World Cup in Ruhpolding: “It was little things.” After two victories in a row, the former world champion only played a minor role in the fight against the clock this Saturday – and the remaining German biathletes also bit their teeth in front of 16,200 loud fans in the Chiemgau Arena.
“On the track, in such conditions, I lack a bit of strength in my upper arms,” said Doll, who started the race with the red jersey of the best sprinter after his success in Oberhof, looking for explanations. Nevertheless, he had previously presented himself well on the cross-country ski trail, but problems at the shooting range prevented him from achieving another top result. “I can’t explain why the first shot doesn’t work while lying down,” said Doll. He also made a mistake in the standing shooting, so that in the end he was over a minute behind the clear winner Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen from Norway.
However, things went better for Justus Strelow. After the first shooting, the 27-year-old was running for victory, and even after a mistake in the standing position he was still on course for the podium – before he ran out of breath on the last lap. “It really hurt at the back, so the spectators really helped me make it to the finish,” said Strelow, who was the only German to reach the top 10 with sixth place: “It’s a great feeling.”
“We made too many mistakes on the shooting range”
Behind Strelow, Philipp Horn (2/+49.2) came in eleventh, Philipp Nawrath (2/+54.2) and Johannes Kühn (1/+55.1) followed in 14th and 15th place. “We have too many mistakes at the shooting range,” said national coach Uros Velepec in view of the many missed opportunities: “But we still have five people in the top 20.” Before the persecution on Sunday (2.45 p.m.) the starting situation is not hopeless.
DSV sports director Felix Bitterling also took the positives from the race. “In the last few years we have often been happy when just one person has managed to keep up. This is completely different,” he said: “We are in a good position for the pursuer. It can’t always work.”
The DSV team’s home game in Ruhpolding ends on Sunday. Before the men’s pursuit, the women start their hunting race from 12.30 p.m. (ZDF and Eurosport), with Janina-Hettich-Walz in sixth and Franziska Preuß in ninth in the sprint aiming for a podium place. The eyes of the German fans will also be on 18-year-old Julia Tannheimer, who surprisingly ran a strong 15th place over the 7.5 kilometers at her premiere.