German biathletes chase the flowers

Et not talking about the weather at winter sports competitions is not an option in times of climate change. Because the question of whether there is snow and if so, how much, has become a constant companion in winter sports. The answer that the organizers of the Biathlon World Championships in Oberhof have these days is therefore more surprising: There is snow in the Thuringian Forest! So much that the depots prepared for the World Cup, which begins this Wednesday, did not have to be opened.

Almost even more surprising is the sunshine that greets the athletes in the Arena am Rennsteig. Because Oberhof is actually known for its foggy, windy World Cup weather. It’s been snowing there for the past few weeks and it’s chilly. The many helpers have been shoveling the snow from the stands for days. The trees at the higher altitudes of the Thuringian Forest are also powdered white.

Memories are always there

“I promised nice weather, there you have it,” said Vanessa Voigt before the first official training session and laughed happily. The 25-year-old biathlete is looking forward to the start of the World Championships, because starting in the mixed relay will be a special moment for her. She contests the opening race with Denise Herrmann-Wick, Benedikt Doll and Roman Rees. The Thuringian comes from near Oberhof, switched to a sports school at the age of twelve and lives only five minutes from the competition site. Her family and many friends will support her in the coming days, not only her twin brother Kevin, who is a photographer and was already there in Beijing.

Voigt always has memories of the Olympic Games and her homeland with her: the mascot of the games, a bell from her home town and a lucky charm in the form of a Thuringian bratwurst dangle from her backpack. In her first World Cup season last year, Voigt qualified for the biggest sporting event in winter and came fourth in the individual race. It was a perfect season for her.

But: “I still have an open account with the mixed relay,” she said. In Beijing, too, she was the starting skier in this competition, in which two women and two men compete for one nation – and had two penalties after shooting errors. But there was still a happy ending for Voigt: she won bronze with the women’s relay.

Vanessa Voigt, said women’s head coach Kristian Mehringer at the World Cup in Ruhpolding in early January, put the most pressure on herself. “She had a great first season in the World Cup, but the second is often the most difficult because everyone has high expectations.” Voigt already showed in Ruhpolding that she can handle a large crowd well when, in the last race, the mass start, when the best German took fifth place – inspired by the audience at the route and home straight, as she explained afterwards.

“It’s cool”

A total of 160,000 people are expected on the nine days of competition at the World Cup. But it’s still quiet in the arena. Only the familiar “plonk” could be heard on Tuesday as bullets slammed into targets at the shooting range during practice. And the scrape of cross-country skis on the snow as the athletes familiarized themselves with the route.

With a view to the World Cup on her doorstep, Voigt said: “It’s cool to be able to experience a World Cup like this at home.” And it makes her proud to have a relay position. “The pressure will be different. It’s my first World Cup, but I’m glad I’ve been to the Olympics. I learned a lot there.” The German Ski Association (DSV) has not formulated a clear medal specification for Oberhof.

“This World Cup is a big highlight that we as a team have been working towards for a long time. We don’t come here to watch the others celebrate every day,” said Felix Bitterling, Sports Director Biathlon at DSV. “We want to get into the Flower Ceremony in every race, which is the top six in the individual and the podium in the relay. If we consistently pursue this goal, one or the other medal will come.”

In the relay races, the Germans are capable of a top placement. After four out of five World Cup relays, the women are in third place in the nations rankings, and the men are even in second place – behind Norway. The men from the north are likely to be the defining athletes of this World Cup, above all the four-time Olympic champion in Beijing, Johannes Thingnes Bö. He won eleven of 14 individual races this season. His compatriot Sturla Holm Laegreid, four-time world champion of 2021, was closest on his heels.

The women’s World Cup victories so far this season are more spread out. The French Julia Simon leads the overall World Cup and is considered the favorite in the World Championship individual races. But it was the German medal hope and individual Olympic champion Denise Herrmann-Wick who won the last race before the World Championships in South Tyrol. In bright sunshine – in “typical” Oberhof weather.