World Cup in Östersund
Rees and Strelow are out of the German biathlon relay team
Out for the relay in Östersund: Roman Rees. photo
© Anders Wiklund/TT News Agency/AP/dpa
The German biathletes have to do without Roman Rees and Justus Strelow at short notice in the first relay race of the new World Cup season.
The German biathletes have to stop at short notice in the first relay race of the new World Cup season Roman Rees and Justus Strelow miss out.
As the German Ski Association announced a good three hours before the start (3:20 p.m./ZDF and Eurosport) in Östersund, Sweden, both are unavailable for use in the 4 x 7.5 kilometer competition. “Justus and Roman have developed symptoms of infection, which we are currently treating intensively,” said team doctor Jan Wüstenfeld: “Unfortunately, taking part in today’s relay race is out of the question in order not to endanger the following competitions.”
Zobel and Kühn move up
David Zobel joins the team to replace starting runner Strelow, while Johannes Kühn is appointed by national coach Uros Velepec instead of final runner Rees.
The 30-year-old Rees surprisingly won the first individual race of the winter on Sunday in front of Strelow and became the first German in almost 15 years to secure the yellow jersey of the overall World Cup leader. The Baden-Württemberg native is likely to wear this for the first time in the sprint on Saturday. Whether Rees and Strelow can compete in this race initially remained open.
For the German team there are already losses two and three in Östersund. Sophia Schneider was also unable to compete in the women’s relay because she complained of a sore throat and an infection. The team finished third on Wednesday behind Norway and Sweden.