Martin Fleig aims high at home Worlds
08.02.2017The German Nordic skier secured a World Cup win last month and is confident he can claim his first world title in Finsterau, from Friday (10 February).
Martin Fleig of Germany competes at the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympic Games.
© • Luc Percival Photography
Martin Fleig of Germany competes at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.
© • www.photo-hartmann.de
“At night I dream about crossing the finish line and knowing that I have won a medal in my home World Championships.”
With the World Para Nordic Skiing Championships just a few days away, Germany’s Martin Fleig dreams of winning his first world title on home soil in Finsterau.
Last month, the 27-year-old secured his first World Cup win in two years when he crossed the finish line first in the men’s biathlon middle distance sitting in Western Center, Ukraine.
Fleig is confident that he can make his dream come true, especially after that last victory, and is looking forward to trying to repeat it.
“At night I dream about crossing the finish line and knowing that I have won a medal in my home World Championships. It would be a feeling which I cannot describe at the moment,” he said.
“It would be amazing to win a medal in Finsterau. That is my goal for it! My best chances to reach this goal are the biathlon races.”
Fleig, who is currently third in biathlon in the World Cup overall rankings, is trying to ensure that he fully ready both physically and mentally for such a big moment in his career.
“I think I had a good summer of training. Only the last few weeks between the first and the second World Cups were not really good for me. I got sick one day before the second World cup in Ukraine started,” he explained.
Fleig rapidly recovered from his illness to add a win to his haul, which also includes two World Cup podium finishes in biathlon in Vuokatti, Finland, last December.
However, he also acknowledges that he must be careful to keep calm in what will obviously be an emotional event for him racing in front of his friends and family.
“Honestly, I am a bit more excited than normal. But I am trying to keep cool and forget that it will be a World Championships in my home country which sounds much easier than it is in fact,” said Fleig, who won bronze in the biathlon middle distance at the 2015 Worlds in Cable, USA.
He is hoping that his knowledge of the course and shooting range in Finsterau will help him achieve his goals.
“I love the tracks there. We have had many races there in the past and we were able to train on them also,” he said.
“I like it if there are hard climbs. The shooting range can be very difficult because the wind can blow through very hard. But for me, as a good biathlete, it could be a benefit if the conditions are difficult.”
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The Finsterau 2017 World Para Nordic Skiing Championships will gather 135 of the world’s best biathletes and cross-country skiers from 25 countries between 10-19 February.
All races will be shown live alongside live results at Finsterau2017.com.
