Justus Strelow was the on-target man last season - as he was the two seasons before - closing 94%, 90%, and 94% of his targets, respectively. Since his full-time promotion to Germany’s World Cup squad, the 27-year-old found a system that ensures hitting most of his targets, despite the conditions or location.

Strelow’s success comes down to talent, hard work, executing the basics, and then confidently approaching every competition the same way. Last season saw Strelow’s first-ever World Cup podium and a fistful of solid competitions, producing his best-ever 14th place in the World Cup Total Score.

What was the key to your success on the range over the last three seasons?

I split my shooting up into prone and standing. I have been good in prone since my first World Cup season because I found a good setup where I am stable and hit the targets very fast. My hit rate is constantly high, so I am thrilled I found the perfect solution.

Standing was all a matter of focus. In my first World Cup season, I was too nervous, made many stupid mistakes, and hit 80%. By last season, I was more comfortable in those surroundings. My private life was well-balanced, allowing me to focus on my sport. I started the season strongly. My main goal in the season was to keep this focus and high level, and I managed to stay there.

Talent or Hard Work?

To what extent does successful shooting rely on talent versus hard work?

Talent certainly gives you an advantage. You still have to work to get the best out of it. You ought to keep the focus and discipline when working with the rifle. The same goes for skiing: despite being talented, you still need to train hard.

Do you prefer high volume or more quality-focused shooting training during the summer months?

In earlier stages of the pre-season, we shoot high volume, but I prefer high quality, shooting 50 good shots rather than 100. Shooting without a high heart rate is challenging, as I make many mistakes. It’s not what I do in competition. I need the heart rate and exhaustion/fatigue to have the focus to do everything precisely.

Regarding the Single Mixed Relay win in Antholz-Anterselva with Vanessa Voigt, do you consider it a career highlight?

Antholz feels like a home World Cup because the crowd is usually predominantly German. The weather was perfect, and competing felt like fun. In the Single Mixed Relay, you always prioritise speed and precision because if you open the door to your rivals, it can be hard to catch up. Avoiding early mistakes (s) is very important. We opened the competition strongly. Then Vanessa played it super cool, increasing the advantage after her second leg. The final leg came down to fighting off Vetle (Sjaastad Christiansen). I knew prone was safe for me; standing shooting was the key. I was frustrated after the one mistake. In the last loop, I skied for my life - and our win - hoping nothing would go amiss. Crossing the finish line brought an immense sense of relief and joy. It is my best moment in biathlon so far.

How do you handle a bad day on the range?

You have to be happy not only with the best results all the time but also satisfied with good races and good results. After a bad day, the key is to get up again, go back, look at it, and interpret what was wrong. Two hours is the finish line for this; be done with the emotional part and go to bed focused on the next day.

Is a World Cup victory your number 1 goal?

I hope to tick that off the list, but every time you have a victory like the one with Vanessa or success in a relay, that is as good because you can share it with your teammates. We are all friends, so sharing a win is the best of feelings. That individual win is a big goal, but we will see when that happens.

Photos: IBU/Christian Manzoni, Vianney Thibaut, Jerry Kokesh