DSV star wins in the thriller
Prussia about World Cup Triumph: “A sick struggle”
Updated on March 23, 2025 – 5:08 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
A head-to-head race, a fall and a protest against the evaluation: The World Cup final of the biathlon women had everything to offer. Franziska Preuß found clear words.
When her teammates stormed the interview in the ARD with confetti and sparkling wine, Franziska Preuss was able to laugh again. The 31-year-old German had recently triumphed in a dramatic last season race in the mass start of Oslo and thus secured the first overall World Cup victory of her career.
In the finish line, Preuss still sheds bitter tears and did a real emotional chaos. After the last shooting, she and her main competitor Lou JeanMonnot, who had a minimal lead in the overall ranking, went on the final round together. The starting point was clear: whoever runs through the goal first wins not only the race, but also the World Cup.
Everything ran out on a sprint duel on the home straight when Jean Monnot suddenly plunged in a curve. She finally came to the finish behind Preuss and Swede Elvira Öberg – and triumphed Prussia.
The Germans could not really be happy about it at first. The first thing she was looking for was the way to JeanMonnot to donate to her competitor. Then the tears flowed. At first there was still uncertainty as to whether the victory would remain, because the French initially took a protest, which they withdraw after a few minutes.
The short uncertainty would not have been the tears, Preuss explained to the ARD microphone: “It wasn’t that way now. Somehow it was stupid to win it that way,” she said. “I would have preferred to have it on the home stretch,” continued Preuss. Immediately after the finish, she asked JeanMonnot whether she was a bit unfair to the scene from her side. “She said everything is fine right from the start. She put her stick and it was not a unfair situation,” said Prussia about the entertainment with her competitor. “It was just a stupid situation.”
The entire weekend had become a roller coaster ride for Prussia. Started with a lead into the weekend, Preuss won the sprint, but was only fifth in the victory in JeanMonnot’s persecution and thus went into the crucial mass start. “I think the level between us was so extremely high. Even if it hadn’t worked, I couldn’t have accused anything of,” said Preuss.
Of course, the loss of the lead after the persecution was “a short damper”, “but I preferred to lose it yesterday than today,” says Preuss. That would have been more difficult to cope with. So she could only have won in the final race. “It was so exciting to the end. It was a sick struggle. If you think that we’ll go on the final round together. Just crazy,” said Preuss’ conclusion.
