wolfgang pichler – FasterSkier

Swedish Coach Pichler Won’t Be Allowed at Olympics Due to Previous Work with Russian Biathlon

Chelsea LittleDecember 21, 2017

Wolfgang Pichler, the coach of the Swedish women’s biathlon team, will not be allowed to attend the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. The reason? He previously worked with Russian athletes who have now been convicted of doping violations. The German rose to prominence as a coach when he led the Swedish team during the time of Magdalena Forsberg, coaching Anna Carin Zidek and Helena Eckholm as well. But he then left the team and...

Biathlon Racing

German Legend Ricco Gross Heads to Russia

Chelsea LittleAugust 17, 2015

After ditching the German team and flirting with a coaching job in Ukraine, German biathlon legend Ricco Gross will work with the Russian men's team. He says he looks forward to having more control and using his own ideas in coaching.

Biathlon General News Olympics Racing

Starykh Confirmed as Target of Doping Investigation, Resigns from Team; Blame Placed on ‘Doping Doctors’

Chelsea LittleJanuary 30, 20143

In a letter to the Russian Biathlon Union, Irina Starykh confirmed that the IBU had notified her of a positive "A" sample. She resigned from the team until the situation is clarified, and also so that she could attend the opening of the "B" sample. Meanwhile, Alexander Tikhonov points out that a doctor sacked in 2009 after a doping scandal was re-hired this year, and was present on the World Cup circuit.

Biathlon General Olympics World Cup

Zaitseva Returns to the Fold

Chelsea LittleMay 28, 2011

At the end of the women’s relay at 2011 World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, star biathlete Olga Zaitseva abruptly announced her retirement, sending the biathlon world and the Russian team into a tailspin. As FasterSkier wrote at the time, Zaitseva was fed up with the Russian Biathlon Union (RBU), the politics, and the pressure associated with representing her country. Since then, there has been much speculation about her possible return. Zaitseva initially stuck to...

Biathlon General News Olympics World Cup

An Unlikely Pairing: Pichler Heads to Russia In Search of a New Challenge

Chelsea LittleMay 13, 2011

When FasterSkier in an interview last week. “Pichler, because he’s had big success in Sweden and many years… maybe it was time for him to move.” Past Animosity with Russia While the challenge of coaching a supremely talented yet frustratingly inconsistent group of women may be appealing to Pichler, the move to Russia is puzzling given his past relationship with the RBU. For several years, Pichler – who is outspoken on many issues – very...