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3d ago

Horn Defends Short Individual Title as Hettich-Walz Claims Comeback Win at German Biathlon Championships

Early-season results serve as key selection markers for winter World Cup starts, with sprints Saturday and pursuits Sunday at Großer Arber.

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Overview

  • Day 1 at Großer Arber ended with Philipp Horn winning the men’s 15 km short individual and Janina Hettich-Walz taking the women’s 12.5 km in her first race after maternity leave.
  • Horn overcame a start-line fall and four misses on a rain-slick course, winning ahead of Lucas Fratzscher (+27.3 seconds) and Justus Strelow (+29.5).
  • Hettich-Walz finished about 27 seconds faster than overall World Cup winner Franziska Preuß, with both incurring one penalty; Vanessa Voigt was third with clean shooting on her competitive return.
  • A temporary format tweak replaced the usual 45-second time penalties with a penalty loop in the short individual, influencing race dynamics under wet conditions.
  • The DSV confirmed three absences—Sophia Schneider (knee), Johanna Puff and Johannes Kühn (infections)—and indicated races are likely to stream for free on its YouTube channel, with no Free-TV coverage.