Franziska Preuß was the first German biathlete to win the yellow jersey in more than six and a half years. And that despite the fact that she narrowly missed her second podium finish of the young World Cup season when she finished fourth in the Östersund sprint on Friday. The 29-year-old has to share the coveted bib and the lead in the overall World Cup with Karoline Offigstad Knotten. Because the Bavarian and the sprint runner-up from Norway have the same number of points and the same race results. This sense of achievement underlines that Preuß’ comeback after a long period of suffering is on a stable foundation and gives hope for a great World Cup season.
“I was a little inconsistent shooting. Missing the last shot twice is kind of stupid. Maybe I was a little too impatient. Nevertheless, I am very satisfied,” said Preuß to the German Press Agency. Two-time Olympic champion Laura Dahlmeier was the last German to wear the yellow jersey on March 19, 2017.
Because Preuß was the only one of the top ski hunters who had to run two penalty laps in the ice chamber in Östersund, she narrowly missed her second World Cup victory of her career in icy temperatures of minus 15 degrees. After 7.5 kilometers she was 18.3 seconds behind the faultless premiere winner Lou Jeanmonnot from France. If you calculate a good 23 seconds per 150 extra meters, Preuß could have cheered less if he had a penalty. “I’m surprised that two mistakes are enough to get us so far ahead,” said Preuss.
Nevertheless, just like Vanessa Voigt, who was again strong (1 mistake), who came fifth just 1.7 seconds behind her teammate, she now has the best chance of a podium in the pursuit on Sunday. Third behind Knotten (1/+ 8.5 seconds) was her teammate Juni Arnekleiv (1/+ 17.6 seconds). The other four Germans didn’t make it into the top 15.
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There was a special thank you to the wax team. “We had top material. The result goes to the wax truck, that was great fun,” said Preuß, who was only 0.7 seconds behind third place. After the test races in Sjusjoen, where the Norwegians dominated and Norway legend Ole Einar Björndalen then expressed biting criticism of the DSV team, the skis are now absolutely top. Voigt also had well-prepared material: “A big compliment to the technicians, they did a great job again, 1-A.” Preuß had the fourth best running time, Voigt was seventh fastest.
While Preuß had no problems with the cold, things were completely different for Voigt. “The mistake simply didn’t have to be there, but I’m glad I was able to shoot at all. I couldn’t feel anything in my fingers anymore,” reported the 26-year-old. Last season, the ambitious Thuringian also went through some lows, which wasn’t always easy for her to deal with. How you can come out stronger was one of the learning effects – and she shows that at the beginning of this season.
The World Cup in central Sweden continues on Saturday (2.45 p.m./ZDF and Eurosport) with the men’s sprint. Roman Rees, who sat out the relay with a slight injury, will be competing in the yellow jersey for the first time in his career. The 30-year-old secured the lead in the overall World Cup with his victory in the individual race last Sunday.
