vMaybe Benedikt Doll should wear the earplugs that he puts in his ears before his races more often in the coming days. He will have to hear the phrase “Stay a little longer” a few more times after winning the individual bronze medal at the Biathlon World Championships.
The 33-year-old had announced before the start of the season that he would only announce after the World Championships in Nove Mesto, which ends on Sunday, whether he would mothball his skis and rifle this year or whether it would be extended. At the German Ski Association (DSV) they want the latter. National coach Uros Velepec half-jokingly announced that he would have to speak to Doll's wife Miriam to convince him to continue.
Undisputed leader
With Benedikt Doll, not only the most experienced and currently most successful biathlete would be leaving, but also the undisputed leader of the team. It was he who gave a motivating speech to the team before the start of the World Cup, during which “everyone felt a little down their backs,” as DSV sports director Felix Bitterling revealed.
Even in the moment of greatest exhaustion and relief, Benedikt Doll didn't let himself look at his cards. He fought his way through the soft snow for 20 kilometers in the World Cup individual race, pointing his small-caliber rifle four times, aiming at the five black targets twice while lying down and twice while standing, and only missed one.
He then had to wait a good ten minutes until the last Norwegian crossed the finish line. Six of them started, but only two ran faster than Doll: Johannes Thingnes Bö, who won his 19th World Championship gold medal, and his older brother Tarjei.
Third place was confirmation not only for Benedikt Doll, who made his World Cup debut in 2012, that he can still keep up with the world's best. But also for the work of the entire German team, which struggled with the ski equipment and the shooting range after the first week of the World Cup, when there were no medals. After a long discussion between all those involved, the knot broke.
“I’m crying inside”
When it was clear that he had fulfilled the wish he had formulated before the World Cup of wanting to take part in at least one award ceremony, Benedikt Doll wandered from interview to interview. Whether there really was a tear shimmering in his eyes or whether it was just the bright light from the huge floodlight masts of the Vysocina Arena shining in them remains his secret. He had every reason to get emotional.
The 2017 sprint world champion had to wait six years for his third individual medal after also winning bronze at the 2018 Olympic Games. “I’m crying inside,” he said, grinning. But he also remained self-critical: “At the last shooting I aimed a little too long and lost my rhythm. That wasn’t ideal.”
The Black Forester, who runs a cooking blog with his father on the topics of nutrition, enjoyment and endurance sports, likes to tinker. When there were problems with shooting in the last World Cup races before the World Championships, he put the rifle in the corner for a few days. “But then I wanted to eliminate my mistakes,” he reported, adding that he primarily trained in the technical basics. “It’s not rocket science, it’s what you learn as a young biathlete.”
The Baden-Württemberg native can also work scientifically. After his career in top sports, he not only wants to have more time for his family, but also wants to devote himself to his studies again. The industrial engineer has already completed a bachelor's degree in marketing and sales, and now he wants to further his education in the area of ”technical building equipment,” he says. “Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, control, that's what interests me.”
#Biathlete #Doll #extend #career
