The Biathlon World Cup in Hochfilzen featured an exhilarating 10-kilometer pursuit race where Vanessa Voigt and Franziska Preuß, both from Germany, finished second and third, respectively. Lou Jeanmonnot of France clinched victory with a time of 29:48.5 minutes. Voigt advanced impressively from eighth to second without penalties, while Preuß faced shooting challenges that affected her ranking. Notably, Alina Stremous from Moldova made a remarkable leap from 48th to 18th place.
The Biathlon World Cup in Hochfilzen witnessed an exciting showdown as two German athletes secured spots on the podium: Vanessa Voigt surpassed Franziska Preuß after her sprint triumph just a day prior. The ultimate victory went to a talented French competitor.
During the 10-kilometer pursuit event on Saturday, December 14, 2024, Vanessa Voigt and Franziska Preuß showcased their skills, finishing in second and third place, respectively. Preuß had celebrated her first sprint victory in nearly six years just a day before, setting the stage for this thrilling competition.
The race was won by the exceptional French athlete Lou Jeanmonnot, who completed the course in 29:48.5 minutes, moving up from fourth place in the sprint. Notably, she also clinched the bonus for the best pursuit time, awarded for the first time this season.
Voigt’s Impressive Climb to Second Place
Vanessa Voigt mirrored Jeanmonnot’s flawless performance, navigating the course without any penalty rounds and advancing from an initial eighth place to secure second place with a time deficit of +33.8 seconds. In contrast, Preuß slipped from first to third place due to three shooting errors, ending the race at +35.3 seconds.
Voigt expressed her satisfaction, stating, ‘Today, it was finally four times zero quickly. Without hesitation, like in training. I felt really good during the warm-up today. It went really smoothly.’ She added, ‘It gets better from race to race. Today was a day when what you trained for in the summer pays off.’
Preuß Reflects on Shooting Challenges
Franziska Preuß, who managed to maintain her lead in the World Cup standings with her third-place finish, candidly discussed her shooting mistakes in the standing position: ‘I was somehow standing, but looking at the target picture incorrectly. Then I shot anyway. The nerve signal between brain and finger didn’t match up properly.’ Despite these challenges, she celebrated her 18th career podium finish, stating, ‘I’m satisfied. It was my first time in this situation, which was a different kind of tension. But it was fun.’
Preuß had an outstanding start, quickly reaching the first prone shooting stage where she cleared all targets and emerged as the leader. With her closest competitor, Sophie Chauveau, facing penalties, Preuß built a lead of 19.7 seconds. She maintained her performance at the next prone shooting stage, reinforcing her top position.
Crucial Moments in the Standing Shoot
As the race approached its midpoint, Preuß arrived at the first standing shooting stage still in the lead, but that’s where her advantage began to wane. With two shooting errors and subsequent penalty rounds, she lost her position to Jeanmonnot and Norwegian Karoline Offigstad Knotten.
At this stage, Jeanmonnot held a 27.4-second lead over Preuß, who was closely followed by Knotten. Both Jeanmonnot and Knotten, along with Voigt in fourth place, were error-free at this pivotal moment.
Final Decisions and Performance
In the second standing shooting, Jeanmonnot and Voigt continued their error-free streak. Jeanmonnot surged ahead to claim victory comfortably, while Voigt secured her second place with a time difference of 48.5 seconds, holding off the competition, including Swedish athlete Ella Halvarsson.
Preuß faced a penalty round, trailing her teammate by 7.4 seconds. While Jeanmonnot’s impressive performance led her to victory, Voigt skillfully defended her position, and Preuß managed to overtake Halvarsson to finish third.
Other German Athletes’ Performance
Unfortunately, the remaining German participants could not contend for podium spots. Selina Grotian experienced a significant drop from fifth place in the sprint to 23rd due to five penalty rounds.
Notable Improvements in Rankings
Julia Tannheimer made a remarkable ascent, moving from 29th in the sprint to 17th, achieving the fourth-best running time despite three penalties. Julia Kink also improved from 41st to 31st, while Marlene Fichtner slipped from 46th to 50th due to shooting errors.
Stremous’s Remarkable Comeback
Alina Stremous from Moldova achieved the most significant advancement, moving up 30 places from 48th to 18th without any penalties.
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In Hochfilzen, the biathletes began with the pursuit—here’s the recap of the thrilling competition.
In Hochfilzen, the biathletes began with the sprint—here’s the recap of the thrilling event.