She can share the joys and tears with others. You can treat yourself. And she can be happy with competitors like no other. Yesterday afternoon, Vanessa Hinz got back everything she had given in the Biathlon World Cup in the past seven years.
The Schliersee won the silver medal in Antholz. And not only do her fans, coaches and teammates cheer, the entire biathlon circus shines with her.
"It is simply unbelievable how happy everyone is with me," Vanessa Hinz says in an interview. "The Italian coach cheered me on from the first lap, the Swiss coach even called out the split times on the final lap, and the other athletes are also happy with me."
In the TV interview, teammate Denise Herrmann also showed emotions: “No matter what happened to me today. I'm just extremely happy for Vanessa. ”Meanwhile, the cheers in Hinz 'home are huge. In Schliersee, cars with white and blue flags drove through the village spontaneously after the race.
With the silver medal, Hinz wins her first individual medal at a major event. And that was the highlight of a season that was really difficult for the 27-year-old. "All the pain is forgotten," says the Schliersee woman. There was a 42nd place in the Hochfilzen sprint or 64th place in Annecy-Le Grand Bornand. "It was not easy, but that means all the more to me now." Actually, the legs were heavy after getting up. The persecution on Sunday, in which Hinz had already shown a strong performance with fifth place, was still noticeable. The shooting was also not optimal. But when the race started, the Schliersee turned up.
With start number 35, she started the race late and quickly realized that something could go. The first shooting unit was solved confidently, while the competition for Tiril Eckhoff (Norway), Kaisa Mäkäräinän (Finland) and Hanna Öberg (Sweden) failed.
“I noticed how I trembled when I stood standing for the first time,” reports Hinz. On the third shot she thought of a mistake and only then noticed that all the targets had fallen. The SC Schliersee biathlete led after the second shooting.
The support comes not only from the family, but also from the entire team of technicians, physios and doctors. “The material was really good. Everything just works so well here, ”enthuses Hinz. Her sister Viktoria - as if she had guessed it - made a short trip to South Tyrol on Tuesday morning and was there for the biggest moment in the career of her sister, who was one and a half years older.
Hinz remained cool the third time at the shooting range, even extending her lead somewhat. A target did not want to fall until the 19th of 20 shots. Upon arrival at the finish line, the 27-year-old fell into the snow, slapped her thighs with joy and took the lead in the meantime. Local hero Dorothea Wierer made one more mistake, but came dangerously close to Hinz. Their five goals in the last shoot pushed them 2.2 seconds faster than Hinz to the final round. Wierer held the lead and, after the chase on Sunday, took her second gold just before Hinz. "Of course you hope, but Doro ran brutally," says Hinz, who is not sad. "I am Vice World Champion and that sounds damn awesome."