World Cup Östersund: German men fight back impressively but finish fourth

Norway opened the Olympic winter with victory in the men’s relay at the Biathlon World Cup in Östersund, beating France by 15.3 seconds, with Sweden third at +24.7. The German team of Justus Strelow, Danilo Riethmüller, Philipp Nawrath and Philipp Horn finished fourth (+55.7), showing resilience after a rough start in tricky shooting conditions.

Germany’s lead-off athlete Justus Strelow, normally the team’s most reliable marksman, struggled on the range. Although he avoided the penalty loop, his standing stage was very slow, costing significant time and leaving Germany 14th at the first exchange, already 1:48 behind.

Danilo Riethmüller stabilized the race, needing only one spare in standing and moving Germany up to eighth by the second exchange, though the gap to the front remained similar. At the sharp end, Norway steadily built a cushion over France and Italy.

Philipp Nawrath delivered a standout leg, hitting all ten targets while many rivals faltered, and slashed more than 30 seconds off the deficit. Germany suddenly found itself on the podium in third heading to the anchor leg.

On the penultimate shooting, Norway’s Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen incurred a penalty loop, compressing the top four to about half a minute. However, Sweden’s Sebastian Samuelsson powered past German anchor Philipp Horn, and Horn could not overturn the position at the final shooting. Norway and France fought out the win, Sweden secured third at home, and Germany settled for fourth.

Post‑race, Horn noted the difficult wind on the range and took encouragement from the team’s proximity to the front, saying Germany showed it can compete at the top. The article also lists the remaining schedule in Östersund: single mixed and mixed relays on Sunday, followed by individual and sprint/pursuit races through the week.