Rösch knows only too well from his own experience how difficult it is to say goodbye to high-performance sport: “It’s not that easy to find your way back to normal life. I think it’s good that Erik has plans that he wants to implement quickly. First he does it but now in Norway there are still two weeks of vacation with his family and this time off is definitely good for him.”
The new long-term sporting goal is a start in the mountain bike stage race “Cape Epic” in South Africa as a team of two with ex-professional cyclist Paul Voß – “so his calves, which are as thick as my thighs, will not disappear anytime soon,” says Rösch.
Holmenkollen
In the last race: Lesser just barely missed another bang
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Professionally, Lesser will take the first steps towards training a coach, a challenge for which the two-time world champion has the ideal prerequisites:
“Being a coach is something completely different, I’ve experienced that myself and I’m curious how he deals with it. It’s like in football: the best footballers aren’t always the best coaches. Erik has to find a new one Find the role. But in terms of personality and experience, there is no one better!”
Lesser in the winner’s interview: “No emotions, just lactate and pain”
Lesser receives “terrifying reactions”
Lesser is likely to remain in the German biathlon, but Rösch predicts that it will be difficult to close his gap in the World Cup team. “I don’t see any real successor in his role as the team’s lead wolf. From a purely sporting point of view, there are enough strong athletes in the team, but there is currently no one like Erik in terms of character. They are all great guys, but no one has as strong an opinion as he does.”
“That was a typical Lesser move,” explains Rösch: “He thought about it and then hit a nerve and set an example that attracted a lot of attention, especially internationally. Hats off to him for this action, even if it cost a lot of followers – it brought something and was a great thing.”
“I talked to him about it for a long time and the reaction that came from Russia was unfortunately partly frightening. So I don’t know whether it made any difference in this regard, because the people there are so stuck in their view of things. You have to but also see that people are exposed to a lot of propaganda. The internationally active athletes, on the other hand, should know better, but there is also fear of the possible consequences.”
Rösch wants to give shelter to Ukrainians
Rösch is also very moved by the war, he is trying to get concrete help for refugees and wants to provide accommodation: “My girlfriend bought a house near Dresden in December. It still needs renovation, but the work is in full swing , everything there needs to be renovated and I’m looking for helpers and supporters. It pushes me to the limit physically and mentally because it’s very stressful,” admits the 38-year-old.
“But it’s our turn and we’re trying to make the house habitable and moveable for refugees as soon as possible. I’ve seen how
and I have to say that the topic moves me and my family extremely. I’ve been in contact with Ukrainian biathletes Artem Pryma and Dmytro Pidruchnyi, who are doing well – but of course it’s chilling to see the pictures of them in uniform, armed at war.”
“Craziness!” Lesser shines in his last shooting
Holmenkollen
Fairy tales at Holmenkollen! King Harald comes out as a Lesser fan
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Holmenkollen
Sensational performance! Lesser triumphs in the pursuit race
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