Several top stars have parted ways with the Austrian national team following the dismissal of the coaching staff.

The methods of the new national team coach have divided the squad. Now, several of the biggest stars have broken ties with the federation. 

Austria brought in German coaching legend Wolfgang Pichler this spring to clean up and reorganize the federation after years of internal turmoil. It has turned into a failure.

Upon his arrival, Pichler dismissed several coaches and halted many of the management’s plans, leading to a complete rift within the Austrian biathlon team.

Initially, the head coach protested in May. Now, several of the top stars have also parted ways with the national team. 

Also Read: Retirement on hold – Takes over national team

Moving to France 

Anna Gandler, Austria’s top female star after Lisa Theresa Hauser’s retirement, has relocated to France. 

There, the 25-year-old trains with her boyfriend Emilien Claude from the French national team. Over the weekend, Gandler won gold at the Austrian national summer championships and finished second at the prestigious City Biathlon Dresden on Sunday.

Read More: Results from the Austrian Biathlon Championships in Lohnsburg

The story continues below

Bringing in Simon Eder

Fabian Müllauer, like Gandler, has chosen to pursue a private path. The 23-year-old is now working with biathlon legend Simon Eder and his father Alfred Eder, alongside Sandra Flunger, who was previously a coach for Lisa Theresa Hauser and is now coaching the German biathlon team.

Kristina Oberthaler has also opted not to train with the national team. The 28-year-old, who had a tough season last winter, is now receiving support from the regional ski federation and authorities in Schladming. 

Tougher and stricter

Wolfgang Pichler has implemented a new regime with significant changes in training approaches since taking over. The 71-year-old German is enforcing a much stricter and tougher line than his predecessor. 

Now, Pichler decides what, when, and how training will occur, demanding total discipline from the athletes. 

Two camps

While several stars have broken away from Pichler, others praise the new regime of the German coaching veteran. 

“The summer has gone well so far. The training is harder and stricter than before,” says Anna Andexer to Ski-Nordique.

The Junior World Champion from 2025 achieved two top-10 finishes at the Olympics last winter and is now preparing for her third season at the World Cup level. 

Lukas Haslinger also appreciates the changes.  

“I am using the national team’s program and am very satisfied,” says the 23-year-old who debuted in the World Cup last winter. 

Extensive track record

The 71-year-old German Wolfgang Pichler has an extensive track record as a biathlon coach. 

From the late 1990s until 2011, Pichler was behind the success stories of athletes like Magdalena Forsberg, Anne Carin Zidek, Björn Ferry, and Helene Ekholm. 

From 2011 to 2014, Pichler was the head coach for the Russian women’s biathlon team. In 2015, he returned to Sweden and was there through the World Championships in Östersund in 2019. 

Prior to the 2026 Olympics, he worked with the Bulgarian national team. 

Read More: Resigned Austrian coach resurfaces with Belarusian biathlon team

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