The ten teams for the biathlon at Schalke on Sunday, December 28, have been determined. Team France and Team Austria complete the starting field around the German duos Hettich-Walz/Strelow and Fichtner/Riethmüller.
Team France
Fabien Claude returns to Schalke with strong memories - this time together with his new partner Lou Jeanmonnot. Both are among the world's best and want to attack at the front of the competition. Claude has already won numerous relay medals, including Olympic silver in 2022 and World Championship gold in 2023. In 2024, he made it back onto the individual podium in Hochfilzen for the first time in four years. Since his World Cup debut in 2016, he has impressed with his stability, fighting spirit and strong relay performances.
Lou Jeanmonnot is one of France's greatest talents. After success at junior level, she made her World Cup debut in 2021 and quickly celebrated victories in the IBU Cup and with the French relay team. Her breakthrough came in the 2023/2024 season: she won a World Cup sprint race for the first time and stood on the podium several times in the season finale. With high hit rates, she is one of the most accurate shooters in the field.
Team Austria
David Komatz is one of the most successful Austrian biathletes of his generation. His greatest career highlights include two silver medals at biathlon world championships: in 2021 he took silver in the mixed relay, followed by another silver medal in the single mixed relay in 2023.
Anna Gandler enjoyed early success in the junior ranks, including silver at the 2017 Youth World Championships and gold in 2020. She made her World Cup debut in 2022 and has been regarded as one of Austria's biggest talents ever since.
The entire starting field for the bett1.de Biathlon World Team Challenge and exciting details about the world's best athletes can be found at biathlon-aufschalke.de.
