Johannes Kühn will contest the Biathlon World Cup 2020 in Antholz from February 13th. In an interview with chiemgau24.de he talks about his goals, his performance development and about biathlon in Antholz.
Antholz - Johannes Kühn is an integral part of the German biathlon team and will go to the World Cup in Antholz with his teammates from February 13th.
Kühn will contest its second World Cup in South Tyrol. The 28-year-old from WSV Reit im Winkl will start as a medal hope. In the current season, Kühn finished third in the Oberhof sprint and took three more podiums with the men's relay and mixed.
chiemgau24.de spoke to Johannes Kühn in the training camp in Ridnaun / South Tyrol about the preparation for the World Cup, the upcoming title fights in Antholz and his performance development.
Biathlon World Cup 2020: Interview with Johannes Kühn
Mr. Kühn, how are you preparing for the World Cup?
Johannes Kühn: I am healthy and the first units in our training camp in Ridnaun were good. It's nice wintery, we didn't have that often during the World Cup. The training here is correspondingly a lot of fun.
How is the training camp in Ridnaun?
Kühn: Due to the many competitions before and after Christmas, we hardly had time to train in the classic sense. Now we have the opportunity to work with the entire team over a longer period of time. We don't make any fundamental changes here, but everyone has their construction sites that they still have to work on.
What "construction sites" are you at?
Kühn: The performance at the shooting range is still fluctuating, so I want to be more constant. I feel like I am in good running shape, but that should not be neglected during a training block.
Biathlon World Cup 2020: The German squad for the World Cup in Antholz
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How do you like the Antholz location?
Kühn: Antholz is a very nice biathlon location, I like to be there. With the shooting range I have not had it so easy in the past years, there are more pleasant ones in the World Cup. I get along well with the track and I really like the whole area in Antholz.
In 2018 in Antholz you qualified for the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. Do you still have that in mind when you come to Antholz?
Kühn: It is a nice memory and shows me that I can do well in Antholz. Of course, that doesn't help me for the World Cup.
They are going to their second biathlon world championship. How important is the title fight in Antholz for you?
Kühn: I don't have that much experience with major events, so the anticipation is correspondingly great. In addition, I was not in great shape before any major event as is the case this year. I'm also looking forward to the mood. At my previous major events, Olympia 2018 and the World Cup 2019 in Östersund, the atmosphere was not as good as it will be in Antholz.
Also read: All information about the Biathlon World Cup in Antholz
Also read: All dates and results for the Biathlon World Cup in Antholz
Read also: Interview with Vanessa Hinz
What goals have you set for the World Cup?
Kühn: I'm running the best season of my career, and my expectations have increased accordingly. However, I do not set specific medal requirements, in biathlon things can happen quickly and a lot can happen during a race. I noticed it at the World Cup in Annecy, for example. I ran quickly in the mass start and shot four times without a mistake. I broke a ski right at the beginning, and despite the really good performance, I couldn't get a top result. So I go to the World Cup with the aim of showing my best. If I succeed, a medal is possible.
What do you want to achieve with the relay?
Kühn: A medal must be our claim in the relay. The competition is tough and a lot can happen in the season, but as a team we are so well positioned that we can get into the top three. We have already shown this in the course of the season and want to confirm this at the World Cup. You mentioned it.
The current season is the most successful of your career so far. How can the jump in performance be explained?
Kühn: I shoot better and more consistently than in previous years. This not only affects the shooting accuracy, I have also increased the shooting speed. The field is so close together that many small things are important. Experience also plays a role. Many scenarios have simply been experienced more often, which is certainly an advantage.
Do you have a favorite discipline?
Kühn: The sprint suits me very well from my skills. The focus is more on running, that's my stronger and more constant discipline.
Source: chiemgau24.de
* chiemgau24.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network
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