The German biathlon team finally received their first medal in the sixth World Cup race, courtesy of a spectacular performance by Janina Hettich-Walz. She pulled off a stunning silver coup in the best race of her career in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic. The 27-year-old athlete, who remarkably elevated herself to become the vice world champion, was still struggling to come to terms with her unexpected victory.
The sports soldier, prior to this event, had never occupied a lone spot on the World Cup podium. She found herself bested only by the new Italian world champion, Lisa Vittozzi, finishing 20.5 seconds behind her but with an impeccable record of zero shooting errors. The bronze medal was claimed by France’s Julia Simon, who, despite a penalty minute, failed to secure a victory for the first time at this World Cup.
“I still can’t really believe it. I have no clue how I found the strength to flip the switch,” a bewildered Hettich-Walz confessed during her first interviews post-race. The athlete, who hails from Baden-Württemberg, had only managed to secure the 35th and 25th positions in the sprint and pursuit races respectively. She admitted to wrestling with her emotions, stating, “It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” in reference to her newfound status as a second-time World Cup medalist.
Three years prior, Hettich-Walz had clinched silver in the women’s relay in Slovenia. Emphasizing the importance of medals in the World Cup, she expressed her elation at being able to secure one on the day. In the five preceding competitions, the German biathletes had failed to win any medals and had particularly struggled with poor skis – a problem that was thankfully not a concern this time around.
“I felt really good and powerful. The material was so much better,” Hettich-Walz remarked, reflecting on her unprecedented achievement of finishing in the top 15 in a World Cup competition. She dedicated her victory to the entire team: “This is a medal for the whole team.”
The former relay world champion demonstrated her individual strength at the season’s onset
At one point, Hettich-Walz seemed on the verge of securing the title thanks to her flawless performance. However, exhaustion set in during the final lap, causing the gap to Vittozzi to widen. The last German individual world champion was Laura Dahlmeier in 2017. Denise Herrmann-Wick had won the Olympic gold two years ago in Beijing in the oldest biathlon race.
Under the floodlights of the atmospheric World Cup arena in Nove Mesto, Germany nearly added to its tally of precious metal. World Cup debutant Selina Grotian and Olympic fourth-place finisher Vanessa Voigt narrowly missed out on the podium, despite not making any shooting errors, finishing in the fourth and fifth positions respectively. They fell short of the bronze medal by a meagre half a minute.
“This is a crazy day for the Germans. You just can’t comprehend it,” a stunned 19-year-old Grotian commented, reflecting on her error-free performance in her first-ever World Cup race. “It felt like I was in a movie. I can’t even understand it.”
Medal contender Franziska Preuß, despite incurring two penalty minutes, ended up as the weakest of the German quartet in 15th place. She was surprisingly unable to make the top ten. “That’s super cool for Janina, I’m really happy about it. There is nothing more beautiful, you can only take your hat off,” Preuß, who was Germany’s best hope for a medal in this season, said in praise of Hettich-Walz.
Preuß, after initially occupying sixth place in the sprint and pursuit, incurred a penalty minute in the first shooting, putting her under immediate pressure. The former relay world champion demonstrated her individual strength at the start of the season as she finished just 0.1 seconds behind Vittozzi in second place in Östersund.
At the conclusion of the opening World Cup in Sweden, Preuß became the first German to wear the yellow jersey since Dahlmeier in 2017. Unfortunately, a corona infection prevented her from defending the coveted shirt. However, she made a comeback and managed to regain fitness in time for the World Cup. Despite completing the second and third shootings without any errors, another mistake prevented her from achieving a better result. Nevertheless, Hettich-Walz, Grotian, and Voigt exhibited impeccable shooting skills, not missing a single target.
