No chance for the DSV biathletes in the mixed relay in Antholz. The German quartet had less target water at the shooting range than the competition on Saturday (21/20/2024) and so did not get past eighth place. Victory went to Norway ahead of Italy and Sweden.
With Janina Hettich-Walz, Sophia Schneider, Johannes Kühn and Benedikt Doll, the German team tackled the 4×6 kilometer competition with eight shooting stages. Franziska Preuß had asked for a break and she also caught a gastrointestinal virus.
But the Germans didn’t have a real chance of placing at the top. Early on they were behind the podium places and the gap continued to grow. In eighth place, they were 3:04.6 minutes behind the victorious Norwegians. Italy and Sweden completed the podium.
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Hettich-Walz keeps distance within limits
Janina Hettich-Walz came to the first shit with the large field, the Frenchwoman Lou Jeanmonnot had taken a step away from the lead and went into the second round as the leader after five hits. Hettich-Walz also made no mistakes and was now in the first chasing group, almost eight seconds behind.
On the second visit to the shooting range, Hettich-Walz had to use two additional cartridges and still had small problems reloading. So she returned to the track 15 seconds behind the leading trio consisting of France, Sweden and Italy. On her final lap for the first change, she pushed past the Italian Dorothea Wierer, who was not yet fully fit again, and handed over to Sophia Schneider with a gap of 12 seconds.
Schneider can’t keep up
Schneider lost another 13 seconds to the leaders on the way to prone and then fired her first shot wide. With five hits in a row she was able to keep the deficit at least at 25 seconds. The local heroes with Lisa Vittozzi were now at the front. She was followed by Norway and Switzerland with Friday’s surprise individual winner, Lena Häcki-Groß.
An annoying reloader while standing cost Schneider more time, also because Vittozzi showed a rapid-fire performance par excellence. So there was now a 42 second deficit, which grew by another ten seconds until the switch to Johannes Kühn. Kühn started the pursuit in sixth place. Italy remained in first place, followed by Switzerland and Norway. From the German perspective, the podium was over 40 seconds away.
Kühn has to go into the penalty loop
Kühn was able to make up a lot of time right from the first shooting. While a few spare rounds were needed at the front, the individual third place from Antholz shot calmly but without mistakes. He was able to make up for 14 seconds of the deficit and move up one place in the classification.
But his skis and legs didn’t really work on the route. So he lost a few seconds again and even picked up a penalty while standing. Lying in seventh place and more than a minute and a half behind, we went back on the track, the last remaining hope of a podium place was gone.
Doll also does an extra loop
Benedikt Doll finally started the race in seventh place, 1:44 minutes behind the now leading Norwegians with star biathlete Johannes Thingnes Bö. He was able to keep the Italian at a distance at the front. Doll incurred the next penalty lap for the German team while lying down, and even a top 6 place was now almost impossible to achieve. This was finally gone with two more standing reloaders.
Meanwhile, Bö ran completely unchallenged to his next Norwegian success. Behind them, the Italians finished second. The last place on the podium was secured by Sweden, who left the Swiss behind in the final lap.