The contract with the German Olympic champion, which expires on April 30, will not be extended, an ÖSV spokesman confirmed to APA on Friday. The ORF had previously reported on the separation as part of the World Cup finals in Oslo. The ÖSV team took over in 2018. At the Olympics in Beijing, however, they remained without a medal for the first time since 2006.
The trend was recently downwards in the World Cup as well. Simon Eder is currently ranked 18th as the best ÖSV athlete in the overall World Cup. Austria’s sports director for biathlon, Franz Berger, announced the decision last week, according to the ÖSV. “He will also carry out the season analysis as usual. But there will be no extension of the contract,” said the association spokesman.
Groß was a four-time Olympic champion as an active player with the German relay team. With three silvers and one bronze, he is the most successful German biathlete in Olympic history. Groß won four of his nine World Championship titles in individual competitions. Before his engagement in Austria, the now 51-year-old looked after the Russian men from 2015 to 2018. Before that, he had had his first experiences as a trainer at the German Ski Association.
At the World Cup final, it was still unclear how Austria’s women around world champion Lisa Hauser would continue in the coaching sector. There, too, the contract of the German Markus Fischer, head coach since 2020, expires on April 30th. According to the association, it was not yet clear on Friday whether this will be extended. “The talks are still ongoing.”
Source: Nachrichten
