Preuß Fifth in the Shortened Individual Race

Preuß Fifth in the Shortened Individual Race

Franziska Preuß has narrowly missed the second podium place for the German Ski Federation (DSV) at the Biathlon World Cup in Kontiolahti, Finland. The 30-year-old, who missed the women's relay race last weekend due to health issues, finished fifth in the shortened individual race over 12.5 kilometers with two shooting errors (+1:09.6 minutes). The win went to the flawless French competitor Lou Jeanmonnot, followed by the two Swedish athletes Ella Halvarsson (1 shooting error/+12.3 seconds) and Elvira Öberg (3/+56.4).

However, for Preuß, finishing fifth was more than acceptable. "I had lice and fleas at the same time in the last days," she said to ARD. She had spent the last two days in bed and was pleasantly surprised by her performance.

She further praised, "But what has to be emphasized: I had really good skis today, it was really fun."

Junior Women with Errors

Behind Preuß, Vanessa Voigt, who placed third in the Single-Mixed with Justus Strelow last Sunday, came in ninth (+1:45.0) with only one mistake at the shooting range. The young DSV quartet, featuring Selina Grotian, Johanna Puff, Julia Tannheimer, and Julia Kink, didn’t feature prominently in the contention for the top positions due to too many shooting errors.

“I definitely expected something better in my shooting,” admitted the German biathlon hope Grotian. However, she was generally satisfied: "All in all, it was quite alright for the first race."

Next Chance This Weekend

On Friday, the men's sprint will continue in Kontiolahti (4:20 PM). The DSV athletes aim to make amends after their lackluster performance in the shortened individual race. For the women, the sprint race is scheduled for Saturday (5:10 PM), before the World Cup in Finland concludes on Sunday with the respective mass starts for the male (2:30 PM) and female biathletes (5:10 PM, all on ARD and Eurosport).