Germany names men’s roster for Östersund World Cup opener without Kühn and Rees

Germany will begin the upcoming biathlon World Cup season in Östersund without long-time stalwarts Johannes Kühn and Roman Rees.

According to the German Ski Association (DSV) on Instagram, the men’s lineup for the Östersund opener includes the pre-qualified Justus Strelow and Philipp Nawrath, plus Lucas Fratzscher, Simon Kaiser, Philipp Horn and Danilo Riethmüller. The latter four earned selection through final qualifying races held on early snow in Idre, Sweden, and results from the German Championships. Fratzscher topped the combined qualification ranking and also won the second sprint in Idre against strong international competition.

Simon Kaiser received his ticket as the second-ranked athlete in the qualification standings, while Horn and Riethmüller were nominated by coaches’ decision. Missing out in the trials were Kühn and Rees, as well as David Zobel and youngster Leonhard Pfund; they are expected to start the season in the second-tier IBU Cup.

The women’s World Cup roster will be decided after a final qualifier in Ruhpolding next weekend. Based on last season’s results, Franziska Preuß, Selina Grotian, Vanessa Voigt and Julia Tannheimer are already preselected. Among those still vying for the remaining three spots for the Östersund races (29 November–7 December) are returnee Janina Hettich-Walz and Sophia Schneider.

The season’s main target for the German team is the Olympic biathlon program in Antholz in February.