Surprise in German Biathlon Relay

Originally published in Sport1 on February 21, 2025

Both relay teams are entering the races with strong medal ambitions, though the women are expected to have a slightly better day.

For the men’s relay, the German biathletes can rely on the 32‐year-old Philipp Nawrath, who will take the starting position on the 4 x 7.5 km relay after his break in the individual race on Saturday at 15:05. He will be joined by Danilo Riethmüller, Johannes Kühn, and Philipp Horn as the anchor.

In a surprising move, Justus Strelow—who had previously been set to run first in the men’s relay and has earned two bronze medals in mixed events—has been omitted from the team.

Preuß as the Anchor for the Women

There are no surprises with the women’s team. Leading the quartet is the four-time medalist Franziska Preuß, who is set for the anchor leg in the 4 x 6 km relay running on Saturday at 12:05 (broadcast via ARD and Eurosport). The relay will be opened by Sophia Schneider, followed by Selina Grotian and Julia Tannheimer. Vanessa Voigt, originally named in the team, had to withdraw at the end of January due to health reasons.

The German women’s relay has a strong track record, having earned a medal in each of the last five major events. At the World Championships in Nove Mesto, the team—featuring the currently pregnant Janina Hettich-Walz, alongside Grotian, Voigt, and Schneider—managed to take bronze. This season even saw back-to-back relay victories in the World Cup at Hochfilzen and Ruhpolding, which has raised the team’s confidence considerably.

Men Still Await a Medal

The German men’s relay quartet have been waiting since their bronze medal at Antholz in 2020 to step back onto the podium at a major event. Last year, with a team of Strelow, Kühn, Nawrath, and the now-retired Benedikt Doll, they finished in an unappreciated fourth place. In this World Cup season, they have managed to reach the podium only once in four races, while France has dominated the relay events, breaking the long-standing Norwegian supremacy.

Philipp Horn stressed the importance of this relay for the overall season: "We are far from meeting our own expectations. A relay medal can change everything – it quickly makes the public forget many poor results, and only the medal counts." Despite current challenges, he views the DSV quartet as strong medal candidates.