Erik Lesser is back on top of the world after more than 1000 days

Biathlon veteran Erik Lesser returned from his crisis with a big bang. After the third place in the individual, he also convinced in the sprint. His new perspective on sport helps him do this.

After his grand journey through the Finnish forests, countless stones fell from Erik Lesser’s heart. The regurgitated veteran could not hide the permanent smile even with a mask, only for a moment the expression of the “prophet” suddenly darkened. “This brings with it a few more tasks,” lamented the 32-year-old after his third place finish in the Kontiolahti individual on ZDF. Now he has to answer the question “where is the next podium” after each worst race.

Ninth place in the sprint

In fact, after its deep depression, the bar suddenly returned much higher, because on Sunday it confirmed its good form with the ninth place in the sprint. From the DSV team, only Arnd Peiffer fared better in seventh place. Serial winner Johannes Thingnes Bö won.

Lesser was completely satisfied after the race. “Sometimes some things are easier, and I’m having fun right now,” said Lesser, who returned to the podium after 1077 days. After a catastrophic World Cup winter he can undoubtedly keep up with the best biathletes in the world – he was the only German athlete to shine in both races.

Lesser’s goal is the home World Cup

He himself had doubts about his beginning in the beginning. In Muonio’s retreat he had to recommend for one of the last two German starting positions in the home qualifying races during the week. “I knew it would be very difficult to be there in Kontiolahti because our team is very strong,” Lesser said later. That’s why he has already come up with a plan B. Motto: The main thing is that I’m at the home game in Oberhof in January.

But it went differently – and how: in knockout races, Lesser confidently put national competition in their place. At least for one of them this was not a surprise: for Ricco Groß.

At the 2020 World Cup in Anterselva, Erik Lesser and Franziska Preuss won silver in the single mixed relay. (Source: Hendrik Schmidt / dpa)

Great praise for Lesser

Before the start of the season, the German biathlon idol practically predicted Lesser’s return to individual disciplines and mainly used his excellent performance at the Antholz World Cup in February as a benchmark. There Lesser won silver and bronze with the squadrons.

“Erik went to the World Championships as a substitute and – coming from the IBU Cup – won two medals. He just has this extreme and calm class at the shooting range. If the boy makes mistakes just three days earlier, he will still hit the competition targets – because it has what it takes, “Groß told t-online.

New serenity as a strength

Lesser himself makes his new serenity the secret of success. In the summer, the runner-up at the 2014 Olympics went deep into himself and laid out his plans for the period after his career. Since then, sport is no longer “the most important thing in life,” Lesser explained.

This allows him to “face defeats better. I focus on my work and give 100% in every race and I want to do my personal perfect race. This gives me strength and calms me”. At the site of his greatest triumph to date in Kontiolahti, where the Frankenhainer became world champion in pursuit in 2015, this approach worked perfectly.

ZDF expert Sven Fischer praised such a tall athlete for being able to “come back like this” after a “bottom-out” with a winter without a top 10 spot and exile at the IBU Cup. Lesser will now have to be measured by this brilliant result, even if he doesn’t really like it.