As an ORF expert and ÖSV consultant, Dominik Landertinger is very close to the Austrian biathlon team. In an interview with “Krone”, the 35-year-old talks about the weak season so far for the local cross-country ski hunters, veteran Simon Eder and problems from the past that have an impact on current performance.
“Krone”: Dominik, how do you rate the season so far?Dominik Landertinger: Our standards are certainly higher than what we have shown so far. With the exception of a few races, the performances did not correspond to what we had planned. The men trained by Vegard Bitnes have been waiting for a place on the podium for three years. Your assessment? When I hear that, it really hurts my heart. There’s nothing to sugarcoat there either. But complaining is no use now, we have to boost the Werkl again and invest massively in the junior sector. We can’t make any mistakes. What mistakes have we made in recent years? We already had huge problems with young talent when I was playing. An unbelievable hole has opened up behind me. It was clear to everyone that this would happen at some point, but they didn’t take proper measures to counteract it. Many athletes have left us for various reasons. Now we have no chance of closing the hole immediately. Is that just the reason? To put it bluntly: we have a huge problem in society. Children these days don’t grow up like I did back then. I was walking around in the forest. Today it’s about the duty of supervision to ensure that nothing happens. I rode my bike and was always moving. Today the children just sit in front of their stupid cell phones. It’s often banal things that lead to a lack of coordination, endurance and strength today. The Scandinavians are far ahead of us because they live the sport in a completely different way. In the Eastern Bloc you don’t have the same luxury as we do here, where you can work out a better life for yourself as a top athlete. But it doesn’t just affect us, but also other Central European countries. What role does volunteer work play for us? We have to ensure that we adequately support these cells, in which there is a particularly large number of talents, and keep them happy. The club coaches are the ones who do particularly important and good work. Thank God they exist. Climate change is also contributing? Snow reliability is of course an issue. Where you used to be able to go on the cross-country ski trail on your doorstep, this is often no longer possible today. It takes fanatical parents to bring their children all the way to training and back again. We live in an affluent society today. When things get tough, many people let it go. But elite sport is a tough business. You also learn a lot about life! Don’t we train hard enough? I wouldn’t say that. Everyone who runs in the World Cup really gives it their all. The question is how far it goes for each individual. What does it say about the men’s team when veteran Simon Eder is the strongest runner at the age of 40? That the younger athletes have to massively improve their running skills. A 40-year-old simply cannot be faster than a 25- or 28-year-old. Felix Leitner is chasing his form. How do you want to get him back on track? I really hope we can do that. Now you need patience. He has shown world-class performances in the past and then sought his limits in training. At some point he got caught up in a whirlpool that he couldn’t get out of. We can’t expect any miracles this season. Lisa Hauser hasn’t been able to build on past successes either. Your explanation? She went her own way in training management in the spring. The fact is: her running and shooting skills have become worse. She has to question herself critically. What role do her health problems play? That can of course be a reason. Your summer was good. But if you jump back and forth between the ÖSV group and your own plans, it can be difficult. I tried it myself, but it didn’t work out well for me at the time. Are you an advocate of a large training group? In 2009/10 we had two strong groups that harmonized with each other and pushed each other. In 2014, everyone was together under Remo Krug and we were really strong then. It’s a philosophy question, I’m more for the group. However, Ole Einar Björndalen has shown that he was also successful as an individual competitor. Do you see any bright spots in the World Cup team? Anna Juppe is developing really well in the women’s race, Anna Gandler is one of our greatest talents and will also go her own way. And we also have to be happy with Tamara Steiner, she has shown improvement. And with the men? It’s actually difficult there at the moment. Hats off to Simon. He is currently the one who sets the tone. The younger ones like Magnus Oberhauser and Dominic Unterweger are slowly making their way up. How do you see Austria’s service team compared to top nations like Norway or Germany? We’ve had a few changes in the service team, we’re currently really well positioned and have some very experienced people. I also believe that we are competitive. But the fluorine ban has made ski selection even more important. It spreads significantly more than before. I still think we’re doing well. The young talent is currently generating success stories. How do you see the development of the top talents? For tactical reasons, we put one of our best trainers, Reini Gösweiner, in the second women’s group. The work there is perfect. Anna Andexer is developing sensationally, what she is currently delivering is really cool! Lea Rothschopf and Lara Wagner also show up there. Among the boys, we have two really strong guys in Fabian Müllauer and Lukas Haslinger, and there are two or three more at the back. There should be something to come for the next few years! Should people like Andexer or Müllauer, who were able to perform in the Junior and IBU Cup, be thrown into the deep end of the World Cup? We will discuss this in detail with the coaches. The main goal is the Junior World Championships. The question is also: Does it have to be this year? But if they continue to perform well, why not? Then they deserve it too.
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