Biathlon: a podium finish at last in Antholz for Franziska Preuss
Before the start of the Biathlon World Cup in Antholz (Italy), one figure sent a chill down the spine of Germany’s Franziska Preuss: 0. In seventeen individual starts at the Alpine venue, she had never managed to reach the podium.
This bad run of form is bound to be a bad omen in the race for the big crystal globe against Lou Jeanmonnot, who has so far finished on the podium twice in four races held at the Südtirol Arena.
Her third place in the sprint on Thursday afternoon was therefore a good result for the holder of the yellow bib.
“My aim was to win an individual podium in Antholz, because I’d never done it before, she admitted afterwards in the mixed zone, in comments passed on by the German Ski Association. I’ve come close on several occasions, but I’ve always failed because of a single mistake. That’s why the 10/10 was so important. The fact that I managed to get on the podium in the first race is very satisfying.”
Very good marksmanship
When asked about her current very good success against the targets –she walks at 91%, including 97% on the recumbent – Franziska Preuss says that, while it may look “easy from the outside”, it hides “a lot of work over the summer”. “Mentally, you can’t let yourself go either, she continues. Of course, it’s cool when it works and when it looks easy from the outside.”
Although she lost 25 points in the standings to French rider Lou Jeanmonnot, the day’s winner, the German said she was “happy”. “It wasn’t a bad race today, just that Lou Jeanmonnot was ahead of me”, she concluded.
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