Franziska Preuß arrives as World Cup leader in Oberhof: ‘A piece of confidence is skiing with me’
After the first trimester of the winter season, DSV athlete Franziska Preuß (30) is leading the overall World Cup standings and will start in tomorrow's sprint race in the ARENA am Rennsteig in the yellow jersey. In the interview she talks about her Christmas holidays, the Birxsteig and the Oberhof fans.
Franziska, how did you spend the break after the first trimester?
After the World Cup in France, I was still a bit under the weather. That's why we took it very easy and relaxed at the beginning. On the first day of Christmas I met up with the family. We made a campfire outside, which was quite cosy, and felt good. After that the normal training mode started already again. So Christmas was quite short, but still restful. You can take up training in a relaxed way again.
You’re coming to Oberhof as World Cup leader. With what kind of feeling?
I'm actually travelling to Oberhof as I have done in previous years. Because no matter which jersey you wear: You always want to perform well at the German World Cups. That's the approach this year. The nervousness is always there when it starts again, but luckily I've already done quite good races here and know what to expect, especially at Birx. That's why there's also a bit of self-confidence.
The many fans in the ARENA am Rennsteig and along the course make the Oberhof World Cup a real highlight in the World Cup calendar. For you as an athlete as well?
The atmosphere is always really cool. The fans shout us up the mountain. Especially when
cheering us on from both sides, it's a cool experience. That makes it more enjoyable,
although the Birx really kicks in.
How important are the races in the ARENA am Rennsteig on the road to the World Championships in Lenzerheide, the highlight of the 2024/2025 season?
I'm not thinking too much about Lenzerheide just yet, but would first of all like to perform well in the next three World Cups, including in Ruhpolding and Antholz.
Foto zu Ihrer freien Verwendung:
Foto: 250108_Franziska Preuß
Bildunterschrift: Franziska Preuß will beim BMW IBU Weltcup Biathlon 2025 in Oberhof an ihre Leistungen des ersten Trimesters anknüpfen.
Fotoquelle: Christian Heilwagen/Oberhofer Sport und Event GmbH