PREUSS Franziska

Franziska Preuss came to the BMW IBU World Cup circuit after a junior career filled with IBU YJWCH medals, three 2012 Youth Olympic Games Gold and one Silver medal. This led to a spot on Germany’s World Cup squad and her OWG debut in Sochi.

Preuss claimed her first-ever World Cup podium in the 2015 Ruhpolding Mass Start; four years later adding her first-ever win in the same competition, both in her home Chiemgau Arena. In the 2019/20 season, Preuss added two more World Cup podiums, consistently finishing in the top 10, finishing sixth in the World Cup Total Score. Since the 2016/17 season, Preuss steadily climbed the Women’s World Cup Total Score rankings, going from 35th that year to her career-best 3rd in the 2020/21 season after another year of consistent top 10 performances.

Since that superb season, the Ruhpolding resident struggled with illness and injuries, limiting her results. The 2023/24 season started promisingly with two podiums in Oestersund that put her briefly in the Yellow Bib. She remained in the podium mix until the IBU WCH, where the German star ended her season prematurely to deal with health issues.

Franziska Preuss recovered well, becoming the dominant force in the 2024/25 season, completing the most spectacular season of her career, the one fans and she anticipated for years. During 2024/25, Preuss was a marvel of consistency, down to the final weekend in Oslo, winning twice, and flying home with two discipline globes and the World Cup Total Score Crystal Globe in her luggage.

The shooting range exemplified the 31-year-old’s amazingly even season. She either shot clean or had a single penalty in 16 of the 21 World Cup and 4 IBU WCH individual competitions, giving her a career-best 92% on the range.

She emphasized the importance of good health in her big season, following strict guidelines. “I had a surgery on my nose in March 2024 and of course, I was super strict during a season. I didn’t meet people inside, wore a mask, had Christmas outside with family, a lot of small little things that finally paid off.”

Franzi hopes for an even better season in the 2025-26 Olympic season, chasing more goals, but she will never forget that March weekend in Oslo when she held the Total Score Crystal Globe high above her head, a moment she described as “really emotional.”

Preuss lives with her partner Simon Schempp in Ruhpolding where the couple recently built a new home.