Biathlon: Ludwig Gredler replaces Vegard Bitnes
This Thursday morning, theAustrian Ski Association announced the appointment of Ludwig Gredler as head coach of the men’s biathlon team. The 57-year-old native of Zillertal (Austria) has been the team’s assistant coach for a number of years, and this time he is in charge of the group. He takes over from Norway’s Vegard Bitnes, who was dismissed at the end of the winter.
“We know the stakes are high, but this is about charting a course to bring youngsters back into the world elite in the near future, explained Mario Stecher, ÖSV’s sporting director , in a press release. By 2028, we want to have a men’s team that can once again compete with the top six nations.”
The new boss of the Austrian biathletes, for his part, says he is looking forward to “this new challenge”. “The absolute priority is to win back the fifth starting quota in the World Cup and gradually move an athlete into the top 20 in the overall rankings, he continues. We all know that the golden age is over. It’s now a question of following a red thread with perseverance so that we can once again present a high-performance men’s team at the 2028 World Championships in Hochfilzen at the latest.”
- Upheaval in Austria: biathlon boss resigns, men’s group coaches Vegard Bitnes and Dominik Landertinger sacked
- Christoph Sumann appointed Austria’s sporting director
