The German biathlon team has ticked off the disappointing World Cup opener in the mixed relay.
The DSV aces of men and women go on a sprint for medals.
The Biathlon World Cup * will take place from February 10 to 21 in Pokljuka, Slovenia.
The men reach for the first medals in the 10 km * sprint on Friday from 2.30 p.m.
The women start in the 7.5 km sprint on Saturday from 2.30 p.m.
We follow both races in the live ticker.
Pokljuka - The German biathlon team * is looking to make amends after the botched World Cup kick-off in the mixed relay.
The first chance for the men arises on Friday in the sprint, on Saturday the women follow suit.
Biathlon World Cup in the live ticker: Men's sprint in Pokljuka - Peiffer and Lesser highly motivated
After the disappointing seventh place in the mixed relay, the DSV team * around Arnd Peiffer and Erik Lesser want to get back on the road to success in the ten-kilometer sprint *.
“It's another chance to do better,” Lesser told the SID, “a completely different race.” In the relay, starting runner Lesser passed after three spare rounds in 17th place with an enormous deficit of more than a minute.
With Sprint Olympic Champion Peiffer it worked much better with only one spare, which is why he was “not dissatisfied” with his performance.
But Peiffer also lost valuable seconds in terms of running.
That should change with the sprint over ten kilometers.
What the German ski hunters might like: On the Pokljuka plateau, temperatures of up to minus 17 degrees Celsius are predicted in the coming nights, which should make cross-country skiing on a compact surface much easier.
In any case, Lesser is fully motivated in the first individual race in the title fights in Slovenia.
"If I do what I can on Friday, it will look better," said the veteran.
He knows that he “actually has it”.
Biathlon World Cup in the live ticker: Sprint in Pokljuka - women's quartet is
Just like Peiffer, who finished third in the last World Cup sprint in Oberhof a month ago.
In addition to the relay duo, Benedikt Doll, after all sprint world champion of 2017, and Johannes Kühn, who recently recommended himself with an EM bronze in the sprint, will also start in the World Cup.
The top favorites for gold are again the Norwegian dominators around Johannes Thingnes Bö and Sturla Holm Lägreid.
In the previous six World Cup sprints, a Norwegian has always been at the top of the podium.
But the DSV athletes also hope for precious metal after the stuttering start.
On Saturday the women will start their first individual race at this World Cup.
Franziska Preuß *, Denise Herrmann *, Janina Hettich and Vanessa Hinz * will then start in the 7.5 kilometer sprint.
Kühn and Hinz had narrowly missed the DSV World Cup norm, but still recommended themselves for a start in the title fights in Slovenia with good performances.
(ck / sid) * merkur.de is part of the Ippen-Digital network