Cross-country skiing coach in the GDR
Anti-doping fighter Henner Misersky is dead
08/13/2023 9:52 p.m
As a passionate athlete and trainer, Misersky refused to prescribe doping to cross-country skiers in the GDR. Even after the fall of communism, his fight and commitment against doping continued. He has now passed away at the age of 82.
The anti-doping fighter and former cross-country skiing coach Henner Misersky is dead. The former competitive athlete died on Saturday at the age of 82, as his wife confirmed.
As a track and field athlete, the Thuringian was particularly successful in his youth over the middle distance. He had to give up his work as a cross-country skiing coach in the mid-1980s after refusing to follow doping practices in East German sport. He had previously come into conflict with the Ministry for State Security because of contacts with athletes from the Federal Republic.
After reunification, the father of biathlon Olympic champion Antje Misersky, with whom he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of German Sports in 2012, was active in various committees dealing with the doping past in the GDR. In doing so, he did not shy away from criticizing the sports associations and their attitude towards working with former athletes and coaches from the GDR era.