Biathlon star Ricco Groß wraps up tumultuous career search.
In a surprising turn of events, just five days after the Bulgarian federation announced their partnership with Ricco Groß as head coach of the ski hunters, the separation has taken place. Instead, Groß will be taking on the role of junior biathlon coach in Switzerland.
Groß, a four-time Olympic champion, made this move official at a base in eastern Switzerland on Thursday. Here, he'll be responsible for a newly founded training group for junior and elite athletes in Lenzerheide. His goal is to strengthen the second tier, preparing for the 2025 World Championships and the 2026 Olympic Games.
Earlier this year in April, Groß announced his surprising decision to leave his position as head coach of Slovenia. Despite initially signing a four-year contract that was set to run until 2026, his contract was terminated prematurely. Before his time in Slovenia, Groß had also coached the women's team in the German association as well as in Russia and Austria.
However, the Bulgarian federation's announcement about working with Groß turned out to be more confusing than expected. They described him as a "living legend of global biathlon" and outlined a collaboration until after the 2026 Olympic Games. But as it turns out, there was never an official agreement or contract signed, confirmed by Groß himself to the German Press Agency.
On Thursday, the Bulgarian federation released a statement explaining that both parties had chosen to end their "cooperation due to different requirements." It's important to note that there were no financial concerns. Groß was simply unable to commit to the demanding role of head coach because of his other obligations.
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Ricco Groß, despite his recent role as head coach of the Bulgarian ski hunters, will now shift his focus to coaching junior biathlon athletes in Switzerland.Gross's new role aligns him with winter sports, given his expertise in biathlon.
Source: www.ntv.de
