biathlon
Between calm and full throttle: Doll starts her farewell tour
Benedikt Doll will end his biathlon career after this season. photo
© Hendrik Schmidt/dpa
There are still three World Cups left before Benedikt Doll is over. It starts on Friday at Holmenkollen. The former world champion already has a plan for after his career.
After announcing his retirement last week, the 33-year-old still has a total of three World Cups left before he wants to devote more time to his family and new studies.
“My emotional state hasn’t changed after the announcement of my retirement because the decision was clear to me for a long time and it hasn’t changed over the season,” said Doll. On Friday (2:15 p.m./ZDF and Eurosport) the veteran will be challenged in the individual. In this discipline over 20 kilometers he won the bronze medal at the World Championships in the Czech Republic two weeks ago.
“For me, this is a rather quiet and long discipline on a hard lap. I try to go about it in a relaxed manner and see what happens. On Saturday it’s time to go full throttle again from the first meter,” said Doll, referring to the mass start . After the races in Norway, Germany’s currently best biathletes will be aiming for victories and podium places at the World Cups in the USA and Canada before it’s over for the two-time season winner.
“I’m looking forward to learning something new,” said Doll: “And I’m also looking forward to spending more time at home.” The father, who grew up in Hinterzarten and was a professional athlete who also completed a bachelor’s degree in marketing and sales in industrial engineering at Furtwangen University, wants to study building technology again. “I love this sport and everything it demands. But I realize that I now want to put my energy into new projects and spend more time with my family,” said Doll.