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Erik Lesser: »One more year of drudgery«
Photo:
Guo Cheng / imago images / Xinhua
Former world champion Erik Lesser ends his biathlon career at the end of the season.
»That's it for me. I'll pack my things here now, do my three World Cups and then: Adios Amigos!
Then it's enough for me and that fits quite well," said the 33-year-old on Thursday in his podcast "The Biathlon Double Room".
Accordingly, Lesser surprisingly renounced the home world championship of the ski hunters in 2023 in his place of residence Oberhof.
"Many will now ask: Why don't you do the World Cup at home in Oberhof?
But that's another year of hard work," said Lesser before the last races of his career.
Two other top performers quit last year
After Arnd Peiffer and Simon Schempp last year, another veteran is leaving the German Ski Association team.
Lesser won two world titles in the pursuit and men's relay in his career in 2015, and he also won a total of three Olympic medals, two of them in Sochi 2014.
At his last games two weeks ago in Beijing, the two-time World Cup winner went away empty-handed.
For Lesser, the World Cups in Kontiolahti, Finland, in Otepää/Estonia and finally in Norway's capital Oslo are still on the program.
»In the cradle of winter sports I can say goodbye, hopefully in the mass start.
It's a very smooth departure, "Lesser said in the podcast he does with Peiffer.
bka/dpa