At the Olympic rehearsal in Vancouver, Canada, in March 2009, Neuner claimed the 2008–09 Individual World Cup, despite never having won a race in that discipline. She also won the Vancouver relay race with the German team, and was second in the sprint, 0.7 seconds behind Sweden's Helena Ekholm. At the season final in Khanty-Mansiysk, Neuner won the pursuit race—her 14th World Cup win. She ended the season fourth in the Overall Biathlon World Cup, which was generally considered disappointing in the media.