Preuß Misses Podium but Qualifies for World Championships

Biathlon in Kontiolahti: Preuß misses podium but qualifies for WM.
Franziska Preuß has achieved World Championship qualification in her first individual race of the winter. The victory on Wednesday (December 4, 2024) in Kontiolahti went to the French athlete, Lou Jeanmonnot.

Preuß completed the shortened individual race after two shooting errors in fifth place, finishing 1:09.6 minutes behind the winner, making her the fastest of the six athletes from the German Ski Association (DSV). Vanessa Voigt also made it into the top ten, finishing ninth (+1:45.0 min) with one error. Alongside the flawless Jeanmonnot were Swedish athletes Ella Halversson (1 shooting error/+12.3 seconds) and Elvira Öberg (3/+56.4) on the podium. The other German junior athletes, Selina Grotian, Julia Kink, Johanna Puff, and Julia Tannheimer, made too many mistakes and finished far behind.

"I am very positively surprised. It was a really good race. Two mistakes in the individual event is one too many. Yet, I am satisfied with how it went," Preuß said after the race, specifically praising her good skiing performance. The last two days had been difficult, as she had been suffering from an infection that kept her from competing in the relay over the weekend.

Preuß lost a potential lead with a miss in her first standing shot but was still well-ranked in the race and had another chance for a podium with a good performance in lying shooting. However, a further mistake with her penultimate shot cost her the podium.

Vanessa Voigt, reputed for her shooting performance last winter, also shot reliably but struggled with her speed. Her first twelve shots hit the target, but one target remained standing. Nonetheless, this was her only mistake. "I know what I can do at the shooting range," Voigt said, satisfied with her shooting results after experiencing some difficulties in the relay.

Selina Grotian encountered issues in the prone position, making three errors. However, she felt satisfied with her performance in her first race, rating it as a 3 on a school grading scale. "All in all, it was okay for the first race, but I hoped for a little bit more," she said after claiming 50th.

In contrast, Johanna Puff, the first German to compete with starting number 10, managed to hit all ten shots lying down but wasted four in the standing position, leading to a 74th place finish. She noted, "I got off to a relatively slow start, and it didn't improve over the rounds. My shooting was frustrating too," attributing her mistakes to lack of stability on the icy mat.