The retirement of a German biathlete is approaching. © AFP / CHRISTOF STACHE

German biathlete is thinking about retirement

Former biathlon world champion Benedikt Doll will probably end his career after the coming season.

03 October 2023

From: dpa

“I'm getting old. Sometimes I find it difficult to motivate myself. “I also want to do something different in my life,” said the 33-year-old in an interview with the Italian portal fondoitalia on the sidelines of the German team's training camp in Livigno, Italy.

But he has not yet made a final decision, Doll told the German Press Agency on Tuesday. It is no secret that he is very likely to quit. “But maybe in the winter I'll get the urge to stick with it for another season,” said Doll, who wants to announce his final decision after the World Cup in Nove Mesto next February. Last winter he achieved his best result of his career with fourth place in the overall World Cup.

The last of a golden generation

Doll had already announced last November that he would stop playing the sport immediately and not continue until the 2026 Olympic Games in Antholz. After the resignations of Erik Lesser, Simon Schempp and Arnd Peiffer, he is the last remaining star of a successful generation among men.

For Doll, priorities shifted after the birth of his son in August 2022. There are more important things than biathlon, said the two-time Olympic bronze medalist. “It was a nice time, but I want to do something different now and be at home all year round,” explained Doll fondoitalia. It is becoming “harder and harder for him to leave my home and my family for training camps and competitions”.