Important information at a glance
Biathlon, that’s cross-country skiing and shooting in a winter setting, in the cold and of course in the snow. But the snow isn’t a must. Summer biathlon takes place while everything is still green. And in 2022, the international elite met in Ruhpolding. Olympic champion and Ruhpolding resident by choice Denise Herrmann-Wick was there.
Under your feet, long rollers and no skis. Shorts and helmet instead of winter gear and cap. A hot 25 degrees, green meadows next to the asphalt. Spectators who prefer to chink glasses with cold drinks rather than mulled wine. Otherwise, everything at the Summer Biathlon is at it always is: the winner is the one shoots the best and gets to the destination the quickest. At the Summer Biathlon World Championship in Ruhpolding’s Chiemgau Arena, local favourite Denise Herrmann-Wick is competing for the first time. “I have never been in a summer world championship and I’m looking forward to the races. It is always cool to be at home in front of fans,” says the 33-year- old. Since 2011, the native of Oberwiesenthal has been training and living in Ruhpolding and really loving it. “I felt at home here from the start. There are so many people here who actively do sport and love being out and about in nature, I like that. But the place is not surrounded by high mountains, you can see a long way, and you can soon be in Munich or Salzburg. This is an extremely good place to live”.
Most of all, Denise likes to go up the Hochfelln or to cool down with a leap into the cool waters of the idyllically located Three Lakes Area.
The programme at the Summer Championship featured the super sprint, sprint, mass start and pursuit. These competitions are especially useful for checking performance and are tackled out of full training. “Now I can still try things out under competition conditions. In winter there will be no more time for testing, then everything has to be right. That is a big advantage, the pressure is not so great yet. But despite that, it is good to know where you stand. And the atmosphere here is just great.”
Denise Herrmann-Wick did not change from cross-country to biathlon until 2016. She celebrated one of her biggest successes with the cross-country relay at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi. Back then she was the final leg skier. “Team competitions are always something special and winning the bronze medal, that was very emotional“, she remembers. In the biathlon she became pursuit world champion in 2019, and Olympic champion in the individual race and bronze medallist in the relay in Beijing in 2022.
The first summer biathlon world championship took place in 1996 in the Austrian municipality Hochfilzen. Although summer biathlon is less popular than the winter edition, the athletes from the different nations, not to forget the fans, enjoy the atmosphere in the area and in the Chiemgau Arena. In 2010, it was rebuilt into one of the most modern winter sports arenas in the world. The stadium extends over almost 16 hectares, and there is space for 15,000 spectators on the temporary stand. When the international biathlon elite gathers here in January every year for the Biathlon World Cup, the flags are busily waving again. The spectators cheer and clamour, and spur on and root for the competitors.
Denise Herrmann-Wick does not mind the summer temperatures on this competition weekend. “I don’t have problems with great heat or great cold. It’s good when you have a few days to adapt. But you can dress accordingly and now in summer you just have to drink much, much more. And if the sun is too hot, you can simply pour a bottle of water over your head, that’s always good.”
The athletes are used to being on roller skis because of their summer training. They are most similar to cross-country skis. However, falls are considerably more painful on the asphalt and braking is not an option. “But the roller skis are shorter, which means you can ski up closer and exploit the slipstream. It’s almost like in formula 1,” explains Denise Herrmann-Wick.
She will soon be even more settled in Ruhpolding, because she has plans for the building of a house. “Being able to live and train in such a great area is a big help for keeping my passion and joy for competitive sport for a long time to come. And my family enjoys visiting me and does so very frequently, four hours’ distance is nothing,” says Denise Herrmann-Wick in appreciation of her new home.
What do you love most about Ruhpolding apart from the nature? “Choux pastry puffs and Leberkäse rolls”.
