Last German world champion
Doll’s resignation leaves a big gap in biathlon
February 23, 2024, 2:59 p.m
Family father Benedikt Doll is ending his career at the end of the season. The decision was “relatively easy” for the last active German biathlon world champion; he is aiming for a “new phase of his life”. But the resignation leaves a big gap.
After the emotional rollercoaster of Nove Mesto, Benedikt Doll went deep into himself one last time – and after a few days of reflection with his loved ones, he came to a final decision: “I feel that the time is ripe for a new phase of life.” said the 33-year-old. The World Cups in Oslo, Soldier Hollow and Canmore will be a farewell tour for “El Capitano”, after which the last remaining German biathlon world champion will also end his career.
“The decision was relatively easy for me,” emphasized Doll in an Instagram video. According to Simon Schempp, Arnd Peiffer and Erik Lesser, the last piece of the puzzle of the successful era of the last decade is falling away, and there is a gap in the DSV team that can hardly be filled. “You don’t have athletes like that on the assembly line,” complained Felix Bitterling, who fought to become the “head of the gang” until the end.
With his “outstanding sporting abilities,” Doll has been a “reliable and great support” over the past twelve years. “An exceptional person,” added the sports director, “who sometimes takes a step to the side, lets others step forward and gives them a platform.”
A maximum of nine races remain
At the World Championships in the Czech Republic, the 2017 sprint world champion put himself in the spotlight one last time with bronze in the individual. However, he has recently had more and more situations “where I thought to myself, why am I doing this to myself? In competitive sports you always have to be 100 percent motivated, 99 percent is simply not enough. When you notice that it’s difficult, “For me, it’s the moment that enough is enough,” explained Doll.
He also notices “that I now want to put my energy into new projects and spend more time with my family. I look back on an eventful time that I never want to miss.” Doll became a father in the summer of 2022. This is one of the reasons why he had been flirting with the end of his career for a long time and was already talking about his “probably last season” before the start of winter.
To do this, he turned everything inside out again and worked on his weapon and running technique in his old age. The reward was another two World Cup victories in the sprints in Lenzerheide and Oberhof, and he has been at the top in a total of six individual races since his debut in 2012. In addition to the World Cup successes, the highlights were the Olympic bronze medals in Pyeongchang in the pursuit and relay. In total he won eight medals at major events.
He now has a maximum of nine races left before he can retire. From March 18th, his full attention will be on his son and his wife, and after completing his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, he is also planning to study further in the field of building technology. “I feel like,” says Doll, “discovering something new for myself” – typical for the amateur chef who always thinks outside the box.