Preuß far off the pace as Wierer takes surprise win in Östersund

Dorothea Wierer claimed a surprise victory in the opening women’s 15 km individual of the Biathlon World Cup season on Tuesday in Östersund. The 35‑year‑old Italian edged Finland’s Sonja Leinamo by three seconds, with France’s Camille Bened 8.4 seconds back in third. It marked Wierer’s 17th World Cup win and a strong response after a difficult previous season; she revealed she had considered skipping the race due to a sore throat and a cold.

Windy conditions made shooting treacherous for many athletes. Germany’s Franziska Preuß, last season’s overall World Cup winner, could not find her usual rhythm on the range and finished 29th with four penalties, more than three minutes behind Wierer. “What unsettles me most is the ski time,” Preuß said, adding she hopes to improve as she didn’t feel physically bad.

Janina Hettich‑Walz was the top German in 17th place despite four penalties, saying she skied well but “four misses are too many.” Vanessa Voigt, who had three penalties, lost significant time during her fourth shooting bout, taking 52 seconds before her first shot—which then missed—and ended 39th. Further back for Germany were Selina Grotian (50th, +4:57.3), Marlene Fichtner (68th, +6:23.5), Julia Tannheimer (76th, +7:12.4) and Anna Weidel (89th, +8:38.7).

DSV sport director Felix Bitterling summed up the day as disappointing, citing a combined 39 misses by the German team as the main reason for the poor placings.