The two WTC stars Franziska Preuß and Sturla Holm Laegreid have won the overall World Cup 2024/2025. While the Norwegian Laegreid was able to celebrate early, Preuß had to tremble even after the finish.
Preuß and Jeanmonnot Keep the Suspense at a Fever Pitch
Franziska Preuß had traveled to Oslo with a 20-point lead in the race for the big crystal globe. Right from the first race of the weekend, it was a real nail-biter between the Ruhpolding resident and her rival Lou Jeanmonnot (France). Both skied flawlessly in the sprint, with only 0.2 seconds separating the two competitors at the finish. The scales tipped in Preuß’s favor; she won the sprint and extended her lead to 35 points.
A day later, the Frenchwoman struck back: Jeanmonnot won the pursuit, while Preuß finished only fifth and lost the yellow jersey, trailing Jeanmonnot by five points heading into the decisive mass start on Sunday (March 23). That race was truly thrilling: Preuß shot cleanly in the first shooting round, while her rival had to complete a penalty loop. While the Frenchwoman remained flawless in the remaining three shooting rounds, Preuß lost her lead again due to a miss in the third shooting round. After a flawless final shooting round, the two rivals entered the final lap together.
By then, at the very latest, it was clear: whoever won the race would also win the overall World Cup. On the final lap, Preuß and Jeanmonnot sized each other up for a long time, while Sweden’s Elvira Öberg closed in from behind. On the final climb, Preuß and Jeanmonnot picked up the pace, and Öberg could no longer keep up. But the race was decided as they entered the stadium. While Preuß moved alongside the Frenchwoman on a downhill section and was the first to enter the turn, Jeanmonnot tried to stay on the inside. In doing so, she tripped over her own skis and fell. Preuß capitalized on the opportunity and skied to victory, while Jeanmonnot finished only third.
At the finish line, however, Preuß couldn’t celebrate right away. First, she went straight over to the Frenchwoman, spoke with the 26-year-old about the crash, and comforted her. But the decision wasn’t final yet. The French Ski Federation initially filed a protest but withdrew it on its own after reviewing the TV footage. Preuß was now officially declared the winner.
“It was an insane battle between the two of us throughout the entire season. And then to go into the final lap together… Unbelievable,” said the winner into the ARD microphone after the final result was announced, though she also sympathized with her rival. “It was a bummer to win it that way. I would have preferred to settle it on the home stretch.” In addition to the overall World Cup title, Preuß also celebrated victories in the mass start and sprint World Cups.
Laegreid Already a Winner on Saturday
Sturla Holm Laegreid had far less thrills and drama on the way to his first overall World Cup victory. The Norwegian, who won the WTC in Schalke together with Karoline Offigstad Knotten in December, traveled to the two Norwegians' home World Cup with a good lead over his closest rival and team-mate Johannes Thignes Boe.
Boe won the sprint ahead of Laegreid and was able to reduce the gap once again, but when Laegreid won the pursuit ahead of Boe a day later, the battle for the big crystal globe was also mathematically decided in Laegreid's favor. In the final mass start, Laegreid finished fourth in the victory of the Swede Sebastian Samuelsson. Johannes Thignes Boe ended his career at the weekend.
The Winners of the 2024–2025 World Cup Standings
Overall World Cup: Franziska Preuß (Wasserburg am Inn) / Sturla Holm Laegreid (Norway)
Sprint: Preuß / Johannes Thignes Boe (Norway)
Pursuit: Lou Jeanmonnot (France) / Laegreid
Individual: Jeanmonnot / Laegreid
Mass start: Preuß / Laegreid
Nations ranking: France/ France
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The list of podium finishers from the last World Team Challenge alone shows what a top-class field of participants the Biathlon auf Schalke has year after year. Winter sports fans who would like to watch the spectacle up close on December 28, 2025 can secure tickets now at tickets.biathlon-aufschalke.de or tickets.schalke04.de, via the hotline 0180 | 5378873 or 0209 | 9775 1877 and at the Service Center at the FC Schalke 04 office (Ernst-Kuzorra-Weg 1, 45891 Gelsenkirchen).
