Olympia 2022: German biathlon mixed relay with Doll and Herrmann missed the medal clearly – three-way battle for gold

No luck in the Zhangjiakou wind lottery: Instead of the hoped-for precious metal, the German biathletes got a disappointment at the start of the Olympic Games.

In frosty temperatures and gusty winds, the mixed relay only ended up in fifth place despite catching up. The medal dreams were a long way off after two penalties by start runner Vanessa Voigt right at the beginning.

The established Denise Herrmann and Benedikt Doll as well as the two Olympic newcomers Voigt and Philipp Nawrath traded two penalties and 18 spare rounds over 4×6 km. The gap to the victorious Norwegians (3 penalties + 13 spare rounds) around star biathlete Johannes Thingnes Bö was 1:05 minutes after 4×6 km. Silver went to France (3+11) in the finish sprint ahead of the Russian athletes (1+13).

“We set up our strongest season, everyone gave everything and fought,” said Doll on the “ARD” microphone: “Of course it’s a shame, but we have to live with it.” The mixed relay has been part of the Olympic program since 2014, and the German Ski Association (DSV) did not finish on the podium in all three editions.

Mixed Relay: Shooting turns into a gamble

In Zhangjiakou at around 1650 meters above sea level, the ski hunters not only had to fight their competitors on the cross-country ski run. Icy temperatures of around minus 13 degrees also caused serious problems, and the wind made shooting extremely difficult at times. “At some point, as a shooter, you no longer know where you’re actually shooting, whether you’re making mistakes on the right or left,” said Doll: “You just hope to make good shots.”

Thickly wrapped up with protective tapes on their faces, the athletes went to the start, and the very first shooting bouts turned into a gamble – with a bad end for starter Voigt, who, as a normally safe shooter, got a penalty loop both prone and standing and finished 15th with 2nd place Handed over to Herrmann 18 minutes down on the leaders.

“That’s definitely not how I imagined my debut,” said the 24-year-old: “I think the big disappointment will come later.” Her teammates then showed a courageous race to catch up – even if front woman Herrmann and Doll, who had won the last race before the Olympics in the mass start in Antholz, were only able to prevent further extra laps with a lot of effort.

Closing runner Nawrath does damage control

In front of final runner Nawrath, the gap had shrunk to 1:19 minutes, but even his strong shooting performance with a total of only two spares was no more than damage limitation.

Hopeful Franziska Preuss has not yet been used after her foot injury and corona infection. The next competition on Monday (10:00 a.m. CET) is the women’s individual over 15 km.

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