Top talent available at short notice
DSV relay takes second place with a surprising line-up
March 9, 2024, 9:39 p.m
Only shortly before the start of the last relay of the season did biathlon junior world champion Julia Kink find out about her debut – and then as the final runner. The top talent solves the complicated task brilliantly – and achieves a strong German result.
The German biathletes overcame the material problems in the last season of the winter and narrowly missed out on their first World Cup victory in over three years. The selection of the German Ski Association (DSV) with Janina Hettich-Walz, Selina Grotian, Vanessa Voigt and debutante Julia Kink finished second in the US Soldier Hollow after seven spare rounds. In the end, the winners from Norway (five spares) were only 17.2 seconds behind.
The women, for whom double junior world champion Kink replaced the ailing Sophia Schneider as final runner at short notice, celebrated their fourth relay podium this season. Germany recently won bronze at the World Championships in Nove Mesto. They also made amends for the weak sprint on Friday, in which the athletes once again showed disappointing running performances.
Germany was at the forefront throughout the race, and a duel with the Norwegians for victory became apparent early on. In the end, the overall World Cup leader Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold prevailed against Kink. The 20-year-old still showed a strong performance in her second race. Sweden secured third place.
In the evening (11:05 p.m.) the biathletes will compete in their ten-kilometer sprint in Soldier Hollow. Benedikt Doll wants to be on the podium again on his farewell tour. The World Cup ends on Sunday with the women’s (5 p.m.) and men’s pursuits (6:50 p.m./all ARD and Eurosport). The season finale will take place in Canmore, Canada, from March 14th to 17th.