Denise Herrmann-Wick shed tears of joy after winning the last sprint race of her career. “It’s very emotional right now,” said the world champion after her eleventh World Cup triumph in Oslo.
With a gala performance without shooting errors, the 34-year-old also secured the small crystal globe in the Sprint World Cup for the second time and also achieved the last goal of her successful career one day before her announced retirement.
“It’s really pure pleasure,” said the Saxon at the end of a perfect day, on which she managed the second-best time. Friends and family had cheered them on in great numbers at Holmenkollen in perfect weather. “I’m incredibly proud and happy that we can enjoy the day like this,” said Herrmann-Wick. Behind her, Sweden’s Hanna Öberg (0 penalties) finished in second place, 3.5 seconds behind, while Julia Simon of France (1) took third place in Norway’s capital.
The race on Friday could not take place due to dense fog and was postponed by one day. The pursuer originally planned for Saturday was removed from the program.
The last race will be emotional
Herrmann-Wick announced the end of her career on Tuesday, and the former cross-country skier will be there for the last time in the mass start on Sunday (3:10 p.m. / ARD and Eurosport). “It’s a crazy feeling. You can only imagine it the way it is,” said Herrmann-Wick about the last moments of her career on ARD: “I don’t even want to imagine Sunday like that.”
In any case, it gets emotional again. “That could well happen,” she replied when asked if a few tears might flow at the end.
It actually happened a day earlier, the two-time world champion was so overwhelmed after once again withstanding all the pressure. “I tried to do my best race that I can do. I succeeded,” said Herrmann-Wick: “You know it’s the last sprint. I’m glad that I’m keeping my nerves in check in the competition could.”
The second best German was the flawless Janina Hettich-Walz in eighth place, Hanna Kebinger (1) also made it into the top 20 in 17th place. Vanessa Voigt (0) fell short of expectations in 41st place, followed by the World Cup debutants Selina Grotian (2/44th) and Lisa Maria Spark (0/53rd). It was very disappointing for Anna Weidel (3), who finished 82nd.
French Simon wins overall World Cup
In the penultimate race of the winter, Frenchwoman Julia Simon secured victory in the overall World Cup for the first time. Fifth place in the sprint was enough for the 26-year-old pursuit world champion to grab the big crystal globe ahead of the final mass start.
Simon is the first French woman to win the general classification since Sandrine Bailly in the 2004/2005 season. She succeeds Norway’s Marte Olsbu Röiseland, who won the trophy last season. The last German overall winner was Laura Dahlmeier in winter 2016/2017.
Benedikt Doll is fourth
In the men’s race, Benedikt Doll had previously finished fourth. Two days after his third place in the sprint, two penalties prevented the 32-year-old from another podium finish. At the finish, the Black Forest rider was 55.3 seconds behind the superior winner, Johannes Thingnes Bö from Norway.
Second place went to the flawless Frenchman Quentin Fillon Maillet ahead of Norway’s Sturla Holm Laegreid (1 penalty). Doll was only a good six seconds short of third place.
The second best German was Philipp Nawrath (2) in 14th, followed by Roman Rees (2) in 20th place and Lucas Fratzscher (3) in 21st place Philipp Horn (6) as 52nd with very poor shooting performance.
Justus Strelow was absent for a short time due to a blockage in his cervical spine. It was initially not clear whether the 26-year-old from Saxony would be able to take part in the mass start again on Sunday.
