Franziska Preuß is taking her own path for her Olympic medal dream. Instead of being in a high-altitude training camp, she is working on her form in Nove Mesto.
Unlike many top athletes, hopeful Franziska Preuß is looking for her medal form at the last World Cup before the Olympic Games.
Besides the overall World Cup winner, only Anna Weidel and Philipp Horn from the German Olympic team are competing in the races in Nove Mesto. Internationally, many stars are also skipping the stop in the Czech Republic with an eye on the Olympic competitions in Antholz (February 8th to 21st).
Franziska Preuß is working on her Olympic form
Besides Preuß and Weidel, Marlene Fichtner, Julia Kink, Sophia Schneider, and returnee Hanna Kebinger form the German women’s team. For the men, the German Ski Association (DSV) is sending Johannes Kühn, Simon Kaiser, Danilo Riethmüller, returnee Roman Rees, and debutants Leonhard Pfund and Elias Seidl into the race; if he recovers in time, Olympian Horn will join to gain competition practice for the final mass start.
The majority of the Olympic team, including Philipp Nawrath and Vanessa Voigt, is taking a short break before heading to a final high-altitude training camp in Obertilliach on Monday. Preuß, Weidel, and Horn will travel there later.
Preuß: “Construction sites that need to be dealt with”
“I still need a few race kilometers, I missed a lot from December,” explained Preuß, who has not yet achieved a podium finish, regarding her start in Nove Mesto: “There are simply still construction sites that need to be dealt with. I’m thinking a lot about it.”
In the Czech Republic, the men will start with their shortened individual race on Thursday, followed by the women on Friday (both at 6:15 PM). After the Single Mixed (1:15 PM) and Mixed Relay (3:10 PM) on Saturday, the mass starts will conclude on Sunday (3:15 PM and 6:15 PM).
The Olympic starters should “get the final polish and further self-confidence with a view to Antholz,” demanded DSV Sports Director Felix Bitterling.