Ricco Groß is no longer a coach in Slovenia. © APA (archive) / EXPA/STEFAN ADELSBERGER

Trainer retirement for German biathlon icon: “Unfavorable timing”

Ricco Groß is no longer the coach of the Slovenian national biathlon team. The timing of the expulsion comes at a very bad time for the German.

11 April 2024

From: dpa

The former German women's coach's four-year contract, which originally ran until the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, was terminated prematurely, as the 53-year-old told the Traunsteiner Tagblatt in an interview.

He started the “big four-year plan”. “But my contract was not extended by the association. I was told that the cause is financial. That means, in the truest sense of the word, you can no longer afford me,” said the four-time Olympic champion and nine-time world champion, who took up his leadership position in 2022. “The brief two years ago was to form the team with my two Slovenian assistant coaches. They have been able to learn well over the past time and are now taking the reins.”

Future is open

It is unclear what will happen next for Groß, who was coach of the Austrian men's team from 2018 to 2022. “Everything is occupied by the other nations. So the timing for me - I found out shortly before Easter - was extremely bad. “It is what it is now, I will find alternatives,” said Ruhpoldinger by choice.