David Zobel was able to celebrate long before the result of the men's relay was known.

At the Biathlon World Cup in Ruhpolding, the 26-year-old competed in his first relay race of the season on Friday – the second ever in his career to date.

He was "ultra buck" on it, as he said after the nomination.

Julia Basic

sports editor.

  • Follow I follow

The competitions in the Chiemgau Arena are a highlight for the Bavarian.

Although he already contested the World Cup race a year ago in Ruhpolding, that was still at the height of the corona pandemic, when no audience was allowed on site.

Zobel was surprised how loud the more than 12,000 spectators in the arena can really be.

At the first prone stage in the individual race on Thursday, he "briefly lost focus" after the first shot, he said.

After that he was able to adapt to the atmosphere.

"It was extremely loud.

But when everyone cheers after the fifth shot, that's just great.

That was really fun.” Five cheers means five goals.

"Goosebumps" at the starting line-up

Zobel did that in the first prone stage of the relay.

Only one shot went wide in standing, the reloader hit the spot.

He made a strong start for the German team, which ended up taking second place behind Norway and ahead of France.

He had "goosebumps" at the starting line-up when thousands cheered him on.

"I died on the final lap, but the spectators along the route pushed me."

Zobel David, as his Bavarian teammates call him, grew up in Murnau am Staffelsee.

His personal fan club, the "Zobel-Ultras", are also present in Ruhpolding.

The 26-year-old now lives and trains in the training group of national coach Mark Kirchner in Oberhof in Thuringia.

The Biathlon World Championships will take place there from February 8th to 19th - Zobel's big goal for the season.

He already has the association's internal World Cup standard in his pocket.

At the first World Cup of the season in Finland at the end of November, he immediately took third place in the individual and hit all twenty targets.

He described the competition week in Kontiolahti as an “incredibly good start”.

He described the further course of the season up to the home World Cup in Ruhpolding as a "wave movement".

"I shot badly"

A cold had slowed him down over the Christmas holidays.

The start of the year on the Slovenian plateau of Pokljuka didn't go as he had hoped - in the sprint he only finished 74th with three shooting errors and poor mileage. "I shot badly.

Then you torment yourself over the ten kilometers and nothing comes of it.

You think to yourself, why are you doing this to yourself.” The individual race in Ruhpolding – although twice as long – was balm for the soul.

After Pokljuka, he pushed away thoughts of the World Cup.

"I wouldn't have anything to do with this form.

But now it feels like biathlon again.” With the home World Championships at his place of residence, something big is imminent, says Zobel.

“As an athlete, you only experience something like that once in your career.

Of course the pressure on us is greater, but the joy is all the greater when it works.

We're in really good shape with our team and I think we can do well there.” He intends to get back to Kontiolahti's form.

"I got everything I could from there.

If I can run like that again, a lot is possible at the World Championships.”