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In
June 1998 the decision was made, that Oberhof will be the venue of the
World Championships of 2004 and Sven, who normally doesn’t talk much
about his plans for the future, said: “That’s a new motivation for
me to keep being biathlete until the World Championships in my home
stadium.”
Sven was in very good shape that summer. He won the Oberhof mountain
bike-biathlon and two first and two second places in the internal autumn
performance tests. He had a great start into the season under the new
men’s trainer Frank Ullrich (who took over from Norbert Baier). After
a third place in Hochfilzen, he managed to reach three places three days
in a row in the Osrblie World Cup: first places in sprint and pursuit
and the German relay team won as well. In fact they won all of the four
relay competitions before the World Championships, a burden Frank
Ullrich didn’t take gladly.
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The
most thrilling of these relays (at least for the German fans) was the
one in Antholz. The binding of Frank Luck, who ran the last leg, broke
during the race and Russian competitor Victor Maigurov handed over a new
ski to him (I have to mention this fair gesture) – and the German team
won the relay. Then they were disqualified (because Frank missed the
controlling of his rifle before he started) and after a sucessful
protest of Frank Ullrich declared winners.
Many
biathlon fans will remember the World Championships in Kontiolahti
(Finland), which were marked by extreme coldness. The competitions had
to be postponed over and over again, because competitions must not be
started, when temperatures are – 20°C
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or
below.
The
German biathlon team used the “waiting period” for training sessions
in the ski tunnel of Vuokatti, because despite of actions of the
promoters, which stroke many people as very strange, temperatures
didn’t rise. Finally only three of five competitions could take place
in Finland: sprint, pursuit and relay. Individual and mass start were
postponed to the World Cup in Oslo’s Holmenkollen. Before the World
Championships Frank Ullrich had said:” There are four athletes in our
team, who can win a competition. Groß, Sendel, Fischer and Luck. One of
them has to make it. I hope we get three of them in the top 15.” His
expectations were more than fulfilled. Frank Luck became World Champion
in sprint. Sven came in seventh. After the pursuit competition, there
were three Germans on the rostrum: gold medal for Ricco Groß, silver
for Frank Luck and bronze for Sven. Just in this relay of all relays,
the German team “only” reached a fourth place.
The following World Cups in USA and Canada went very well for Sven and
after that the season’s final World Cup took place, the one at
Holmenkollen. They became a real “Sven Fischer-festival”: three
times winner in four competitions, and World Champion at last! Sven won
the title in both individual and mass start (the first ever mass start
competition in World Championships). Up to that day he had won 13 World
Cup competitions, but he never managed to become World Champion (apart
from team or relay competitions). He was relieved: “That takes a load
off my mind… In all these years I have always tried to run on a high
level. I have been very unlucky in deciding moments up to now, but I
knew my time had to come some day.” Not just Sven, but the whole team
was happy. Ricco Groß said: “In Kontiolahti, Sven was happy on my
behalf, because of my gold medal. Today I am happy on his behalf. After
all we are a team.” Apart from two gold medals Sven won the sprint at
Holmenkollen and the overall World Cup for the second time. He
said: “I achieved more than I ever hoped for” and “After running
along or behind for so many years, you know how to place the
achievements.”
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