Franziska Preuss is a World Champion, with 48 combined individual and relay World Cup podiums on her resume and a rare athlete who won a World Cup competition in her home stadium. Once the youngest on the German Women’s team, Preuss is now, at age 31 the “matriarch.” Franzi is easy to pick out: the lady with the welcoming smile and reserved personality. She recently was selected as “Ambassador” for the Ruhpolding region where she lives in a new comfy home with her long-time partner Simon Schempp. In our chat, Preuss reveals how she starts each week, packs at the last minute and values good food, much of which she cooks herself.

Mondays start at 6:45

What time do you wake up on Mondays and what is the first thing you do after waking up? “I wake up at 6:45 on Monday and go straight to the bathroom! (Huge laugh!) That is where it starts!

What is the first app you look at when you turn on your phone? “Sometimes it is WhatsApp when I see that I have messages or the app to see how my sleeping and heart rate were.”

What makes your breakfast routine perfect? “A good porridge with a little bit of yogurt, some fruit, some seeds and a little bit of honey. And of course, a good coffee!”

Does your early morning regime include stretching, yoga, a jog or mental preparation? “It depends a little bit about what is on the training plan. When we have hard sessions, I maybe sometimes…do some dry shooting to be ready. When the weather is nice outside, I do a little yoga stretching before I go to training. But mostly, it depends on my time.”

“Packing is not my favorite activity”

Is your backpack packed and ready to go or do you pack it at the last minute? “It’s more the last minute! "Packing is not my favorite activity, so I do it as late as possible and am always stressed.” The most important thing you’ve left home? “It is really stupid when you’ve forgotten your ammunition. Then you have to ask the other girls, can I have 5, 10 or a box; this is really a stupid thing!”

Do you have a mental checklist that you go over every morning as you plan the day? “It is more when I go to bed. I have this checklist that includes: Have I done ADAMS (Anti-Doping and Management System). That is maybe my last thought every night. It is always a great fear that I have not done it.”

Do you consider yourself a perfectionist when it comes to training? “I would say, ‘yes.’ If something is not working like I want, I get stressed and can’t see the good things happening, just the bad things.”

Couch Time: Sports and Netflix

At the end of the day, what do you do to wind down? “I am a relaxing person. I like to spend time on my couch at home watching TV. It is also nice when my boyfriend is home and we can spend time together. Right now, we are watching a lot of football, but this summer will be really good with so many sports like the Paris Olympics, Tour de France, football, European Championships Track and Field. If there are no sports, then we watch Netflix.”

What is your biggest indulgence? “Good food is very important for me; to have good quality food so you never get hungry. I eat everything.” As for the cooking? “100% me, Simon is really lazy in the kitchen.”

Beyond your training log, do you journal to keep your world in order? “Yes, it depends a lot on the training period. Sometimes I write a lot, sometimes not so much. It also depends on how much stress I have in my normal life. But I have a book and use it. It is good to write down all of your thoughts. When you struggle a little bit, you can have a look to see what you did.”

What is the hardest part of being a professional biathlete? “Sometimes it is hard that you cannot spend so much time with your family and you miss family events. That is hard for me, but I know that at some point in the future, I will be able to spend a lot of time with them.”

What is something very few people know about you? “I would not say it here, because everyone would know! Sometimes it is best to have a few little secrets!”

What project is on your “to do” list when you get home from training camp? “I have a lighter week, so I have some sponsor dates. Also, we have a flat in my parent’s home and our family is renovating it, so I think, I have to contribute to that!”

Photos: IBU/ Christian Manzoni, Jerry Kokesh, Franziska Preuss