Dorothea Wierer starts again in Germany

Dorothea Wierer in Germany

After a season of enforced absence, the “City Biathlon Wiesbaden,” the German event that will feature a number of protagonists and stars of the biathlon World Cup circuit, returns to the international calendar. The event, a mass start scheduled for Sunday, August 13, will benefit from the presence of Lisa Vittozzi and Dorothea Wierer, among the favorites for the final victory. The two Italian women will be accompanied by coach Jonne Kahkonen.

The women’s starting list will also feature Hanna Oeberg, Denise Herrmann-Wick, Marte Olsbu Roiseland, Tiril Ecklhoff, Vanessa Hinz, Maren Hammerschmidt, Karolin Horchler, Lou Jeanmonnot, Vanessa Voigt, Hanna Kebinger, Anna Weidel, Anna Gandler, and Yuliia Dzhima, while in the men’s field, Sturla Laegreid, Benedikt Doll, Martin Ponsiluoma, Tarjei Boe, Roman Rees, Fabie Claude, Niklas Hartweg, Florent Claude, and Dmytro Pidruchnyi, among others, will compete for victory.

Dorothea Wierer had closed the Biathlon World Cup with an eighth-place finish in the mass start, won by Sweden’s Hanna Oeberg. However, it was a result that tasted of regret for the South Tyrolean champion, who until the last polygon was in the thick of the race for the podium.

Fatal, for Wierer, was a mistake in the last series of target throws: at the finish line, the Italian had finished one minute and ten seconds behind, twenty-six against the athlete who came in third, French Anais Chevalier.

As far as the other Italians were concerned, Lisa Vittozzi’s thirteenth place was noteworthy, as she had retained her third place in the overall standings behind CdM winner Julia Simon of France and Wierer herself, who was second.