Two penalty loops too many for Germany in Östersund mixed relay

France claimed the mixed relay at the Biathlon World Cup opener in Östersund, shooting clean without penalty loops (0 penalties, 6 spares), to finish ahead of Italy (+25.2; 0 penalties, 8 spares) and Norway (+1:05.3; 1 penalty, 7 spares).

Germany lined up with Justus Strelow, Simon Kaiser, Janina Hettich‑Walz and Julia Tannheimer and placed eighth (+2:24.5; 2 penalties, 9 spares) after penalty loops for Kaiser on leg two and for anchor Tannheimer at the final standing.

Strelow rebounded well from issues in the men’s relay the previous day. He needed one spare in prone, then shot clean standing to hand over alongside Italy, France and Norway, though his lead on course was neutralized.

On leg two, Kaiser struggled in prone despite using all three spares and had to ski a penalty loop, dropping Germany to 11th with over 50 seconds lost. He recovered with a clean standing stage and handed over in sixth, but continued to lose time on the tracks. Kaiser, relatively inexperienced at this level, said the opening pace was "brutal," that nerves affected his routines, and that he missed the switch into shooting mode after a hard loop.

Hettich‑Walz used one spare in prone and then shot five‑for‑five standing to make small gains, but the podium remained more than a minute away when she tagged Tannheimer.

Tannheimer initially battled the USA for fourth. After one spare in prone, she ran into trouble in the final standing with snowfall picking up, missing with all three spares and incurring a penalty loop that ended Germany’s top‑five chances. The 20‑year‑old expressed frustration, saying the errors shouldn’t happen, especially as the longer she stood there the more the legs shook and doubts crept in.

With a convincing last shooting bout, France sealed the win over Italy and Norway. Earlier in the Östersund weekend, Germany had finished fourth in both the men’s relay and the single mixed relay.

The article also lists the upcoming Östersund schedule: women’s 15 km individual (Tue), men’s 20 km individual (Wed), women’s 7.5 km sprint (Fri), men’s 10 km sprint (Sat), and men’s 12.5 km pursuit (Sun).