Germany’s best biathlete
First the Summer World Cup, then the wedding: Denise Herrmann in “Stress”
Soon also in wedding stress: biathlete Denise Herrmann. photo
© Barbara Gindl/APA/dpa
Denise Herrmann climbed the sporting Olympus in Beijing. But that was not the end of her biathlon career. But first there is a big celebration: the wedding with her Thomas.
Denise Herrmann’s personal highlight is in September. Since Germany’s best biathlete at Chiemsee marries her fiancé Thomas Wick.
The 33-year-old celebrated the bachelorette party in a merry manner, among other things with a fun act in the old racing suit, bridal veil and wooden gun in the Ruhpolding World Cup arena. There the Saxon will strap on her real weapon and roller skis again when medals are at stake at the Summer World Championships from August 26th to 28th.
“I’ve never started at a Summer World Championships and I’m really looking forward to the races. It’s always a cool thing to be at home in front of the fans,” said Herrmann in an interview with the German Press Agency. On the program are the super sprints on Friday, the sprints on Saturday and the mass start races on the following day.
Resignation was not an issue
Herrmann has just completed three intensive weeks of preparation, first on the Alpe di Siusi with her boyfriend Wick (31), an ex-cross-country skier, then with the German team on Lavazè and then in Obertilliach. And the ex-world champion still exudes enormous energy and curiosity, also when working with the new Norwegian assistant coach Sverre Olsbu Röiseland.
After her triumph in singles at the Olympic Games in Beijing in February, speculation arose as to whether she would end her career at the peak. “If you only relate it to successes, you could have said what else do you want to achieve? But resignation was not an issue for me. That only came from outside,” said Herrmann. She has a concrete plan on how she wants to approach the end of her career. “In the end it has to feel round and I could imagine how round it feels. But it wasn’t after the Olympics,” said Herrmann without revealing any details.
Physically, everything has to fit, at 33 years of age she is no longer the youngest athlete. “But everything is still green and I’m still having fun,” said Herrmann. In addition, as an athlete, there is much more to it than just success. “I haven’t been doing biathlon for that long, a few things still tickle me and I’m striving to still be able to implement it,” said Herrmann, who only switched from cross-country skiing to ski hunters in 2016.
“Wick-Herrmann is not that long”
But one thing is already clear: the Winter Games in Antholz 2026 will take place without them. In addition to building a house in Ruhpolding, which will start next year, family planning will also be a focus at some point. With a view to your sporting career, you only think about it once a year.
Another incentive to continue after Olympic gold was the home World Championships in Oberhof next February. “That definitely gives you a tailwind,” said Herrmann. Women’s discipline trainer Kristian Mehringer sees it that way too. “I think the home World Cup made a big difference again,” said the 40-year-old to dpa. His best athlete seems “a little more relaxed” to him than last season with the Olympics. “Now in the training sessions, she seems very self-confident, a bit more relaxed, but consistent and fully focused.”
His protégés are approaching the Summer World Championships, which the A-Team has always skipped, as an interim assessment and from full training. “Our focus is only on the winter, we can’t be top fit all year round,” said Mehringer.
Herrmann sees it that way too. And she can concentrate fully. Because she doesn’t have the full stress of preparing for the wedding. “Luckily I have Tommy at home, he takes a lot off my shoulders. I’m usually presented with the finished idea and then just have to nod it off,” said Herrmann, who is really looking forward to the larger celebration, laughing. And what’s her name then? She hasn’t decided yet, she could also imagine a double name. “Wick-Herrmann isn’t that long,” she joked.