2024-01-11 16:39:00
Benedikt Doll knew exactly who he had to thank. In the finish area, the Black Forest native hugged his teammate Philipp Nawrath tightly, Germany’s final runner gave the unlucky raven a reassuring pat on the shoulder in return: Despite Doll’s catastrophic standing shooting, the German biathletes continued their podium series with second place at the home game in Ruhpolding – and a first dampener in the mood in the Chiemgau Arena prevented.
“It’s crazy in biathlon that something like this still happens following so many years,” said a dejected Doll on the ZDF microphone following he had fought for victory for a long time with his teammates Justus Strelow, Johannes Kühn and Nawrath: “I have myself be pushed into rapid shooting.” The former world champion “can do it better. The others have proven that they can do it very well.”
The rest of the DSV quartet didn’t take offense at Doll’s mistakes at the shooting range, which led to two penalties. “I’m happy with second place,” said Strelow following the fourth podium in the fourth relay race of the winter: “Unfortunately we made mistakes, but as a team we still achieved a great second place.”
Nawrath was also satisfied. “The fact that it’s still enough for the podium is a testament to our mega constitution. That gives us self-confidence.” In the end, the series winners from Norway were 45 seconds behind.
Strelow hands over as leader
In minus five degrees and bright sunshine, starting runner Strelow was right at the front. He dictated the pace on the cross-country ski trail, and at the shooting range the 27-year-old only needed a spare when shooting prone. In a close race, Strelow handed over to Kühn while he was in first place, and the fans acknowledged the great start with an initial “Oh, how nice that is”.
Kühn, who recently impressed with two places in the top ten in Oberhof, kept Germany in the top group. Even small problems with reloading and a fall that was his own fault didn’t stop him for long; the material worked perfectly on the trail. So Doll also took to the track as the leader, while Kühn fell completely exhausted into the snow in the finish area. “The pressure is particularly great at home, especially in the relay,” said the 32-year-old.
Doll put the competition under pressure with a quick series in prone shooting, but Norway and France might not be shaken off. From a German perspective, everything fell apart during the standing shooting, with the Black Forester incurring several penalties. There was a state of shock in the stadium, national coach Uros Velepec just shook his head.
Nawrath saves podium place
Almost a minute behind Norway, Nawrath started the chase and following the prone stage Germany was back on course for the podium. Even while standing, Nawrath kept his nerve and turned the arena into a madhouse, Velepec’s face was plastered with a broad grin.
For the men, the sprint continues on Saturday in Bavaria (2.30 p.m.), and on Sunday the pursuit over 12.5 kilometers awaits at the end of the competition in the Chiemgau Arena (2.45 p.m. at Eurosport).
Drama in the standing shooting: Doll has two penalties
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