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The sprint race in Annecy delivered a mixed bag of results for the German biathletes. While Justus Strelow and Philipp Nawrath impressed, Philipp Horn endured a difficult day. Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen secured the victory.
The Norwegian delivered a flawless shooting performance. But the top three are tightly packed. His compatriot, Johannes Dale-Skjevdal, missed twice – yet remains just 3.5 seconds behind. Emilien Jacquelin, with one penalty, is five seconds off the pace. Saturday’s pursuit race promises to be thrilling.
Nawrath Frustrated by One Mistake
And the German biathletes could still have a say in the battle for the podium. Philipp Nawrath was the top performer, finishing tenth with a single penalty. He’ll start the pursuit 26 seconds behind the leader. “The mistake was frustrating, but I was lucky that nine others also missed,” Nawrath told ZDF.
Justus Strelow also shot cleanly, but struggled with the demanding course. He finished 13th (+35.1 seconds). David Zobel was 18th (1/+35.1).
Horn Squanders Strong Start for Pursuit
German hopeful Philipp Horn, on the podium at the last sprint in Hochfilzen, had a disastrous day. He was fourth in Annecy last year, but his podium chances were dashed by three penalties in the first shooting stage. Another miss in the standing stage leaves him with a significant deficit, 1:21 behind, heading into Saturday’s pursuit.
Horn on Shooting Disaster: “That’s Biathlon”
“I can’t explain the shooting performance. I was actually calm and focused and doing well on the first lap. But that’s biathlon – after the first shooting, the race was already over,” a disappointed Horn said.
Simon Kaiser missed twice and finished 23rd (+1:04.3). Danilo Riethmüller had three penalties and will start the pursuit in 51st place (+1:36.6).
