Who wants a stylish haircut? Biathlon world champion Franziska Preuß gives her coaches a bold trim
Yasmine Green
Dailysports's expert
Translated by the editors
A lighthearted moment took place at the Biathlon World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, as pursuit race winner Franziska Preuß took on the unexpected role of hairstylist. The German biathlete gave her coaches, Sverre Olsbu-Røiseland and Christian Meringer, a unique makeover, with the results proudly displayed on the German Biathlon Union’s Instagram page.
The backstory behind this impromptu barber session lies in a friendly bet—Olsbu-Røiseland had promised to let himself be given a new haircut if any German athlete won gold at the championships. After Preuß’s victory, he had no choice but to keep his word.
Preuß approached the task with creativity, shaving lightning bolts and hearts into the sides of Olsbu-Røiseland’s head. She also gave senior coach Meringer a wild new look, much to the amusement of teammates and staff. Even the coaches themselves couldn’t help but laugh at the results.
However, not everyone was thrilled. Olsbu-Røiseland’s wife was shocked by his drastic new hairstyle and took to Instagram to ask Preuß in disbelief, “What have you done to my husband?”
For the 30-year-old Preuß, this victory marked her first-ever individual gold medal at the World Championships—an achievement now immortalized not only in biathlon history but also in her coaching staff’s haircuts.
