biathlon
Former world champion fit again: Doll sprints in attack mode
Taking part in the men’s sprint in Nove Mesto on Saturday: biathlete Benedikt Doll. photo
© Hendrik Schmidt/dpa
In the end he didn’t score anymore and was also slightly sniffly. Now Benedikt Doll is fit again. And wants to annoy the Norwegians with his team.
Veteran Doll had only arrived in the Czech Republic on Tuesday with a slight ailment and had only watched the mixed team’s fifth place finish from a distance the following day. Now he wants to show at what is probably his last World Cup that he is still a force to be reckoned with. “I never have any problems coming back after an illness. And I still aim to deliver a perfect race,” said the Black Forest native, who won the sprints in Lenzerheide and Oberhof this winter.
After that, however, he had massive problems on the shooting range and was far away from the lead. At home he went to the analysis with his exercise bike: Doll shot technically incorrectly, the basic elements no longer fit. We went back to fine tuning with the laser. “Things are going quite well again at the moment, I feel like shooting again. And I think I’ll be able to get to the shooting range on Saturday with a certain degree of confidence.”
Doll won his first world title in 2017
In 2017 he won his only world title to date in a ten-kilometer sprint in Hochfilzen, 0.7 seconds ahead of Johannes Thingnes Bö. But this race no longer plays a big role for Doll. “I tend to concentrate on what’s to come. I prefer to look to the future,” said the passionate amateur cook. He prefers to remember the two successful sprints this season.
His wish for this World Cup: He wants to be at an award ceremony again. Either he or a teammate will be honored – and best of all, the German anthem will even be playing, he said. And in the sprint, Doll expects something for the German team. “I have hope that we can perform quite well as a team.”