The German biathletes don't want to be unsettled by their frighteningly weak team result in the pursuit race at the end of the World Cup in Hochfilzen.

"We continue to trust our concept. We are convinced that it will pay off," said sports director Felix Bittlerling from the German Ski Association in Austria: "Now we're trying to gather strength and be fit again for the next week to do it again to deliver before Christmas."

In the hunting race in Tyrol, Benedikt Doll was only 18th as the best DSV ski hunter. Justus Strelow (26th), Roman Rees (36th), Johannes Kühn (37th), David Zobel (42nd) and Philipp Nawarth (54th) also had no chance in the fourth win of the season for Norwegian Johannes Thingnes Bö. "We got a little bit of it, that's part of it," said Bitterling. The poor starting position after the sprint contributed to the fact that not much was possible from the start.

"In this crazy field with the Norwegians going completely out of control, you just have to take risks right from the start," said Bitterling. Sometimes you are rewarded for it, but sometimes not, he emphasized: "I just know that we have trained well, that we have a great atmosphere in the squad. We catch each other and then there will be better days again. "

These should ideally follow this week. On Thursday (2.10 p.m. / ARD and Eurosport) the sprint continues in Annecy / Le Grand-Bornand. The final races before the Christmas break will take place in France until Sunday.

However, the men already had a sense of achievement in this still young winter: In the relay there were already places two (Kontiolahti) and three (Hochfilzen), as well as a third place each for Roman Rees and David Zobel in Finland.