The German ski runners have missed their first season medal at Olympic Games for 16 years, in heavy snow-fighting Zhangjiakou but their best placement since the silver 2006 in Turin booked.
One day after the surprising second place of the Frauenstaffel, the German quartet was fifth in the victory of the Russian team and was a rank better than four years ago in Pyeongchang.
Janosch Brugger (Schluchsee) and Friedrich Moch (Isny) in the classic and Florian Notz (Römerstein) and Lucas Bögl (Gaisach) outdoor style lay after 4×10 km 2: 55.8 minutes behind the ROC selection for double Olympic champion Alexander Bolschunow, Those with 1: 07.2 minutes ahead of Norway.
It was the clearest win for 30 years, in 1992 in Albertville, the Norwegians had won by Björn Destie with 1: 26.7 minutes ahead of Italy. Bronze picked up on Sunday France (+1: 16.4).
Starting runners Brugger had changed after a outstanding performance as second on Moch. Although the only 21-year-old convinced, however, fell against strong competition such as the Grandious Finnish 15-KM winners Iivo Niskanen ranked six with contact with the medal ranks.
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At half of the race, the residue of the DSV quartet on bronze was only ten seconds, but on the first freestyle part, Notz lost significantly on time, the medal dream was bursting. Bögl brought ranked five sovereign in the finish – at the home World Cup 2021 in Oberstdorf he had become seventh with the DSV quartet.