Youth and Character: What Lesser Criticises in German Biathlon

Sportschau — Wintersport podcast interview with Erik Lesser

Sportschau biathlon expert Erik Lesser speaks in the Wintersport podcast about the scarcity of top results from German biathletes in recent years. The former athlete explains which factors he sees as important and what he expects from the German Ski Association (DSV) team this season.

Interview highlights

• Lesser says critical media coverage is part of elite sport and that German athletes cannot complain about tough questions. He also stresses that critique does not mean a lack of appreciation for the team’s work.

• On who has potential in the German squad he names Philipp Horn and Philipp Nawrath as athletes able to deliver strong skiing, but notes they currently lack the composure at the shooting range of the very best (for example Sturla Holm Lægreid, Johannes Thingnes Bø or Quentin Fillon Maillet in his peak).

• Lesser calls the shooting problems an issue of mentality: Germans tend to play down themselves and focus on problems, while Norwegians often enter races with a more dominant mind-set. He describes this as a character matter that needs cultural and mental work, not just technical training.

Depth of the youth pipeline

• On youth development Lesser is clear: he does not think the DSV has done a bad job structurally or in investment — but the problem is numbers. From his perspective in Thuringia (a traditional biathlon region that includes Oberhof) there are far fewer children entering the sport than before. In some age groups he finds almost no youth at all.

• Because Norway can draw on a much broader pool of youngsters, more athletes push each other upward — a structural advantage Germany currently lacks.

From juniors to senior stagnation

• Lesser observes that Germany often produces strong junior results but that many promising talents do not make the same jump to the top senior level. He gives the example of Norway’s Isak Frey, who moved from juniors to overall World Cup success quickly, and contrasts that with German juniors who later find themselves fighting in the IBU Cup instead of the World Cup.

Outlook for the season

• For the current season Lesser hopes the German men have learned from previous years and that a more structured, comparable training approach will reduce mistakes at the shooting range in key races. He does not rule out chances: “We are not without chance,” he says, but adds that German athletes have tended to make one or two too many errors in important races.

Full podcast

The full interview — covering topics such as handling setbacks, long-term motivation over a career, and Lesser’s coaching activities — is available in the complete Sportschau Wintersport podcast episode.

Related events mentioned in the article: World Cup in Östersund (the Östersund World Cup weekend and the men’s individual there are referenced), IBU Cup (as context for athletes’ development).