Column | A late biathlon happiness

I can't help it. Frank Wörndl, slalom world champion in 1987 and silver medalist a year later at the Olympic Games in Calgary, put a sentence in my head (I commentated with him for years), which I'm bringing back to life for this reason. "If I had won gold instead of silver, my whole life would have been different." As a reminder: Frank was just ahead of Alberto Tomba after the first run and ultimately lost by six hundredths of a second. And another quote from him.

"Everything always went just as close as it could have been." He was referring to the situation at the airport in Calgary. Frank was even wearing the official German team uniform, which was rare for him, but nobody took any notice of him because the bobsledders from Jamaica were at the gate at the same time. "Cool running." But the cameras were rolling. Frank is more relaxed about it today than he was then. He has found his way with silver. What he would have won with gold remains an unsolved mystery and an eternal secret. What would have really happened to him and become of him if he had beaten Tomba back then? "Gold Frank": I can practically see the headlines in front of me and sponsors who are trying to get him, the sunny boy and heartthrob. An athlete who loved not to conform and to go against the grain. He would have been a perfect representative and advertising medium for some products. As a gold medalist. But it was only silver.

A gap is filled Now these questions are cropping up again, not in connection with Frank Wörndl, but in connection with the German biathlon relay team from Sochi 2014 and also with those from Austria and Norway. Briefly on the facts: In the wake of the doping scandal in Sochi, the Russian Yevgeny Ustyugow, a member of the supposedly winning relay team, was banned by the International Biathlon Federation (IBU) in 2020. This was only possible at this late stage, as Russia only handed over athlete data to the International Doping Agency (WADA) in 2019.

Arnd Peiffer was also there in 2014. © APA/afp / JONATHAN NACKSTRAND

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) then annulled the relay result. Since then, no official result has been recorded for this competition. Ustyugow appealed and only now, more than 10 years after the Olympic Games, has the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected this. Accordingly, the IOC can now, if it follows its regulations, take action and officially crown the German team with Erik Lesser, Arnd Peiffer, Simon Schempp and Daniel Böhm as Olympic champions. This is also good news for Austria. Instead of bronze, Christoph Sumann, Daniel Mesotitsch, Simon Eder and Dominik Landertinger now receive the silver medal. In any case, the DSV team was robbed of the big moment of the award ceremony with the national anthem. Only Arnd Peiffer, as sprint winner four years later, was able to experience this probably exhilarating and intense feeling. Therefore, there is no sign of exuberant joy, but rather satisfaction, as in the case of Simon Schempp: “When you have Olympic gold on your CV, it is a childhood dream.”

A life with silver He ended his career three years ago and is still employed by customs. Erik Lesser works for the German Ski Association as a shooting coach at the federal base in Oberhof and, like Arnd Peiffer, is a TV expert. Peiffer will not let the second gold medal of his career disturb him. He works for the federal police and wants to advise his potential successors on their professional and sporting careers. And Daniel Böhm is deeply immersed in the scene and is now the sports director of the International Biathlon Federation.

The question of what would have happened, which Frank Wörndl has asked himself time and again throughout his life, never came up for the biathletes. At the awards ceremony, Russia stood in the middle of the podium. At the time, it was important to estimate the value of silver. Gold can no longer change anything. It is too late. Now it will only be exciting to wait and see how the new medals reach the new Olympic champions. By post, as has already happened, or will IOC President Thomas Bach travel across the country in person (he would also have to go to Norway, because Ole-Einar Björndalen would now receive his 14th Olympic medal)? It would be a great gesture and, even if very belatedly, another sign against the monstrous doping monster that sent Russia into the Olympic race at the time.

About the author: Sigi Heinrich The award-winning sports journalist (including winner of the German Television Prize, the Bavarian Sports Prize and nominated for the prestigious Grimme Prize), author, long-time sports editor of the Süddeutsche Zeitung and commentator on many sports since the founding of Eurosport (1989), devotes his column "Sigi's Tips" to the entire diversity of sport. Sometimes with a smile, sometimes thoughtful or deliberately provocative. There should be something for everyone.

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Hockey

Tennis

Winter sports

Learn More

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Column | A late biathlon happiness

Comments (0)