Thomas Diethart won the Four Hills Tournament in 2014. © APA / BARBARA GINDL

New strong men in Austrian winter sports

The Austrian Ski Association announced two new head coaches on Thursday morning, both of whom were most recently employed as assistant coaches.

24 April 2025

From: apa

Ludwig Gredler is now responsible for the men’s biathlon, and Thomas Diethart takes over for the women's ski jumping team. Gredler succeeds Norwegian Vegard Bitnes and Diethart Bernhard Metzler. Christoph Sumann, the new biathlete's sports director, was installed after the end of the season.

Gredler, 57, from North Tyrol, once celebrated six World Cup victories and has been a coach for the Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV) men since 2008. Since 2014, the Zillertal native has been assistant coach on the World Cup team.

Ludwig Gredler was once a world-class biathlete himself. © APA

The greatest sporting success of the 33-year-old Lower Austrian Diethart was his victory at the 2013/14 Four Hills Tournament, before he joined the ÖSV women's ski jumping team as assistant coach in December 2021 after gaining initial coaching experience with the Tyrolean Ski Association and the German Ski Federation (DSV).

For ÖSV Sports Director Mario Stecher, these decisions demonstrate that the ÖSV is relying on proven talent. "It's also an important sign to show potential and to see that you can advance as a coach within the Austrian Ski Association."