The rising temperatures combined with rain in Slovenia swirls the schedule of the World Biathlon World Cup on the Pokljuka plateau.
The biathlon elite faces special challenges at the upcoming World Cup: For Franziska Preuß, the exciting fight for the yellow jersey may also be a fight against the weather.
Due to the poor conditions on the Pokljuka plateau in Slovenia with heavy rain and warm temperatures, the International Biathlon Union (IBU) has changed the competition plan for the World Cup from Thursday to Sunday.
Franziska Preuss is looking for
Both individual competitions will be held as shortened races on Thursday. The women start at 11.30 a.m. (ZDF and Eurosport) over 12.5 and not over 15 km. The men’s singles over 15 km will also be preferred from Friday to Thursday (3:15 p.m.).
In addition, the two mass starts planned for Sunday will be held on Saturday (13.35 and 15.45). Single mixed and mixed relay (12.05 and 2:50 p.m.) are now planned for Sunday. According to the IBU, Friday is intended as a reserve day.
Biathlon: Preuss fights for overall victory
“Heavy rain and warm wind caused serious damage to the route. The weather forecast for this week is also not particularly good, with more rain and warm temperatures, ”said IBU racing director Borut Nunar. It will be “a challenging week and we have to tackle it every day”.
In the overall World Cup ranking, Preuss is 36 points ahead of the French Lou JeanMonnot in the season’s sprint. According to Pokljuka, there is still a World Cup on the Holmenkollen in Oslo (March 21st to 23rd). A total of five out of 21 individual decisions are still pending.