Biathlon World Championships: Preuß Shows Resilience as German Women's Relay Misses Out on Medals

At the 2025 Biathlon World Championships, the German women’s relay team suffered a major setback when they missed out on the medal podium. The French quartet, led by world champion Franziska Preuß, secured gold in a commanding fashion while the German team, despite putting in a good race overall, could not overcome a disastrous opening from start-runner Sophia Schneider.

Sophia Schneider, in her debut as the lead starter, incurred a penalty round during the standing shooting stage, which left the team 1:35 minutes behind after the first leg. Schneider later expressed her disappointment in an interview with ARD, stating that the stress from the race had prevented her from calming her nerves during shooting.

Though teammates Selina Grotian, Julia Tannheimer, and Franziska Preuß all had commendable performances – with Preuß even clawing back the gap to be only six seconds behind the bronze medal position after the prone shooting – the team’s overall deficit proved insurmountable. Preuß, who eventually missed a crucial shot during the final shooting phase, noted that the team simply made one too many errors. After the race, she was seen consoling her teammate Schneider, emphasizing that such setbacks are part of the game and can serve as learning experiences.

On the podium, the French relay, with flawless shooting (0 penalties and 4 extra rounds), established a clear lead from the very start, while Norway and Sweden secured silver and bronze with times of +1:06.8 and +1:44.5 respectively. The German team, with a time of +1:58.4, ended up finishing in fifth place.

Looking ahead, the men's relay over 4 x 7.5 kilometers is scheduled to start at 15:05 local time, featuring Philipp Nawrath, Danilo Riethmüller, Johannes Kühn, and Philipp Horn, who are aiming to bring home the first German medal since the bronze in 2020. Later, the Championships will conclude on Sunday with the mass start races for both women (12.5 km) and men (15 km).