A week after his first career victory, Roman Rees has to pass again at the end of the Biathlon World Cup in Östersund, Sweden. As the German Ski Association announced three hours before the start, the 30-year-old cannot compete in the pursuit.
The Freiburg native had already missed the relay, but was in the sprint in the meantime. There Rees competed in the yellow jersey for the first time in his career, but after finishing 56th he lost the lead in the overall World Cup to his victorious teammate Philipp Nawrath. Hanna Kebinger also cannot take part in the women’s hunting race.
“Due to the continued moderate signs of infection in Hanna and Roman, we have decided, in consultation with the athletes, to skip today’s pursuit competition,” said the German team doctor Jan Wüstenfeld: “With the prevailing low temperatures, we want to avoid aggravation of the symptoms in order to continue the competition next week in Hochfilzen.” In Östersund it was sometimes minus 14 degrees.
