After 323 World Cup races, biathlete Benedikt Doll is hanging up his skis and rifle. In twelve years he became captain of the DSV team. Now he is leaving the ship. Companions say goodbye to him.
Benedikt Doll finished 26th in his last race, but that was of course secondary in the end. After all, one of the most successful German biathletes of all time had just crossed the finish line for the last time.
Doll: Didn’t want a “show” competition in the last race
He didn’t want to take it slow in the last 12.5 World Cup kilometers of his career. “What do I want to enjoy in a race, I give it full throttle,” said Doll looking back after the race in an interview with ZDF. He “didn’t want to do a show competition.” On the final lap, however, he “let the boys go, so I wanted to enjoy the last few meters for myself.”
It is the attitude that made Doll the successful biathlete who was able to put the perfect finishing touch to his career in the last few meters with the bronze medal at the World Championships in Nove Mesto at the beginning of the year.
The 2017 World Cup title in Hochfilzen stands out
Doll won six World Cup medals in his career, two of which were in individual disciplines. The most special one for sure: World Championship gold in the sprint in Hochfilzen 2017. “This 2017 World Championship title simply stands out,” says Doll in the ARD documentary “Benedikt Doll – the last world champion”, looking back on the greatest success of his twelve-year career .
In Bansko 2013 he became European champion just a year after his World Cup debut. The boy from the Black Forest said this almost twelve years ago to the day. On March 16, 2012, he ran in the World Cup for the first time in Khanty-Mansiysk, Siberia, and came 32nd. At that time, it was not yet possible to guess what kind of career Doll would have.
From beginner to captain
At the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, he won bronze in the pursuit and relay. Four Junior World Championship titles should not be kept secret either. But all the success never went to his head.
The now 33-year-old with a particular fondness for coffee and cake in the afternoon always stayed down to earth and over the years rose to become captain of the German team. His companions and current teammates wished him only the best after his last race.
The “character monster” leaves the German team
“Someone is missing who leads the way,” recognized Philipp Nawrath. For sports director Felix Bitterling, a real leader works: “To be a leader, you need more than just being a good athlete, but character, and Benni is a monster,” said Bitterling in praise of his protégé on ZDF.
Johannes Kühn also said goodbye to his long-time colleague with a photo from the old days. “After more than 14 years – one last dance with you,” wrote the Bavarian. Doll and Kühn had already started together in the second-class IBU Cup.
Doll herself beamed with joy as she accepted the congratulations and awards in the finish area in Canmore. He was “not grieving that the biathlon era is over,” said the Black Forest native. He is looking forward to what comes next. For Doll, this will initially be the family around his wife Miriam and their son.
No return as a coach or expert
He probably won’t return to the sport anytime soon. Working as a trainer and expert does not currently appeal to him. Doll has a degree in marketing and sales-industrial engineering. In the fall he will start a second course of study, this time on sustainable energy systems in Offenburg.
At the end he was asked what he had learned in biathlon and during his career: “Working your way out of the depths is where you learn a positive way of thinking and I think that gets you further in life if you try to tick things off quickly and move forward to look.”