Para Biathlon World Championships: Walter and Recktenwald Secure German Double Victory

At the Para Biathlon World Championships in Pokljuka, German para-biathlete Leonie Walter delivered a dominant performance in the sprint for visually impaired athletes over a distance of 7.5 km. Competing with faultless shooting and guided by Michael Huhn – after having to forgo her original guide Christian Krasman due to illness – she finished with a substantial lead of 1:26.3 minutes, marking her third world championship title in biathlon.

Close on her heels, Johanna Recktenwald, together with her guide Emily Weiß, secured the second spot, thus completing a brilliant double victory for the German team representing the Deutscher Behindertensportverband (DBS). In addition to the double win, the German para-biathletes collected a total of four medals on the opening day of the championships.

In further competition, Anja Wicker earned silver in the sitting start class, trailing the American Kendall Gretsch by 35 seconds after a nerve-wracking race, while Marco Maier, competing in the standing class, missed the top spot by a mere 1.2 seconds. Nico Messinger, despite flawless shooting, ended up 22 seconds behind the bronze medallist.

Bundestrainer Ralf Rombach summed up the day by expressing his satisfaction with the team’s performance, stating that "it could not have gone any better." The schedule for the championships continues over the weekend with the sprint pursuit and individual races set to take place in Slovenia.