The encouraging applause from the loud fans made Benedikt Doll's anger a little more bearable. Two penalties in the last standing cost him and Denise Herrmann-Wick the podium on the return of the World Team Challenge to Gelsenkirchen.
He and the Olympic champion ended the biathlon year with a smile, but without a trophy. Overall World Cup leaders Julia Simon and Fabien Claude from France secured it. The second duo of the German Ski Association (DSV) with Vanessa Voigt and Philipp Nawrath was fifth (1:03.5 minutes behind) and only held the role of spectator at the award ceremony. Doll and Herrmann-Wick crossed the finish line just ahead, 58.2 seconds behind.
"I screwed up the last shooting," Doll quarreled. Before the interlude, he and his teammate were in a promising third place. "I didn't expect that at all," said Doll. "It freaked me out and I lost focus. I thought we were further behind."
"But it was really fun. Everyone was hot"
Skijäger fun is not part of the World Cup. "Nevertheless, it annoys me tremendously," said Doll. In total, the two top German athletes made 14 shooting errors. The afternoon started according to plan for Herrmann-Wick. She won the women's shooting competition and finished third compared to the male competition. But in the pursuit, she quickly found herself trailing behind because she had three penalties on the first shooting bout. "I gave Benedikt a pretty good handicap," she said. "But it was really fun. Everyone was hot."
Together they worked their way up after finishing seventh in the mass start. But then Doll failed because of his nerves. Voigt and Nawrath also got a taste of the podium. But on the shortened course, where shooting is even more crucial, they were still passed with ten penalties.
Because of the corona pandemic, the event, which took place between Christmas and New Year's Eve, could not take place in Gelsenkirchen for the past two years. Ruhpolding in Upper Bavaria stepped in. Both times the event took place without fans. "It was pure goosebumps," said Voigt beaming at the comeback with fans.
A short break is now beginning for you and your DSV colleagues before the World Cup in Pokljuka, Slovenia, is due to start on January 5th. "In between, I'm still vacationing with my husband in Antholz. There are worse places to celebrate New Year's Eve," said Herrmann-Wick.
