There have never been such relay formations among German biathletes. At the World Cup opener in Kontiolahti, Finland, the men with Justus Strelow, Johannes Kühn, Benedikt Doll and Roman Rees will be at the start today (11 a.m. / ARD and Eurosport).
The women run their race over 4×6 kilometers (1.35 p.m. / ARD and Eurosport) in the line-up of Anna Weidel, Sophia Schneider, Vanessa Voigt and Denise Herrmann-Wick. Franziska Preuß, who is still resting for health reasons, will be absent.
“It’s a new season. It’s not easy for the coaches if you don’t have an established team. But it has its appeal and you might grow together again,” said women’s coach Kristian Mehringer about the unusual lineup. If everyone recalls their performance from the day before, “we might have a chance to annoy the stronger nations and attack forward.”
Voigt in fourth place and individual Olympic champion Herrmann-Wick in sixth place just missed the podium. “I definitely need a few more races, but it was a good sign from me,” said Voigt, who hit all 20 targets in the individual.
Sophia Schneider makes her debut in a World Cup relay. “I’m happy, I’ve never run a World Cup relay and that’s something special,” said the 25-year-old.
