Recently Michael Rösch did Michael Rösch things again. Together with Sigi Heinrich, he was just commenting on the women’s Biathlon World Cup sprint. And when it became clear that Denise Herrmann-Wick from Saxony would win gold, Rösch from Saxony explained into the Eurosport microphone: “Sorry that we might be biased, but we’re allowed to.” Then he bent down and pulled out a shiny piece of cloth and slung it over his shoulders. Reporter legend Heinrich commented live: “Now he’s putting on a golden jacket here, the madman.”
Strictly speaking, it was a golden jacket in which Rösch could be seen longer in the stadium that day. He shot the video himself, “Sigi didn’t know anything about the jacket,” says Rösch now. He is still wearing the white sweater from the video at this meeting on Sunday evening, but the jacket is stowed away. But it might be used again. “Hopefully,” he says.
Olympic champion Rösch was one of the best, then he lost the art of biathlon
Among all the colorful supporters who found their way to Oberhof for the Biathlon World Championships, Rösch is perhaps the most conspicuous figure these days. Sometimes you see him decorated with balloons on the local dance floors, sometimes he shines gold between the fans in the stadium, as if he were one of them. He works as an expert for Eurosport and Sky, he has additional engagements with the German Ski Association, the World Cup OK and a World Cup sponsor; there are also tasks for his busy social media channels. Sleep in Oberhof? “I sleep an average of three hours a night.”
Some would probably see Rösch as someone who is quite capable of being a clown. That’s probably not entirely wrong, but it’s not the whole picture either. After all, the 39-year-old was once one of the best in his industry, in 2006 he won Olympic gold in Turin with the relay. Observers once saw him as the greatest talent in German biathlon before he lost the great art of rapid firing and running. After there was little future for him at DSV, he switched to the Belgian association. Even then he was good at stepping out of line. In fact, he made it back to the World Cup in the Belgian jersey. His greatest sporting success after the change of nations: in 2016 in Pokljuka he finished sixth in the pursuit. In 2019 he switched from the cross-country ski run to the commentator’s booth.
In the Oberhofer Stadion he is now sitting at a table with a view of the reporter’s corner, where Norwegian television and Ole Einar Björndalen have settled. These Norwegians. You are the fascination of this World Cup in Thuringia for the sporting observers. They have won all the men’s medals so far, six in all colors, plus gold in the mixed relay and one bronze for women. There are also explanations for this, says Rösch.
The Dresden native grew up in Altenberg, Saxony, but lived and trained in Norway for a long time and was dating a Norwegian at the time. “Sport is a social good for them,” he says. Norway has its own sports ministry, “with us it’s attached to the interior ministry somewhere,” he says. In Rösch’s perception, Germany is “by far the leader” in sports funding. The Bundeswehr, federal police, customs and also the state police have “created so many jobs for athletes that there is nowhere else in the world”. However, this support may not only be beneficial for the medal table. Or?
Norwegians have a much better understanding of their bodies and training
“In Norway, the athletes are fighting for their existence, they take out student loans, they don’t know beforehand whether they’ll make it through.” Similar interpretations of dominance are heard from Björndalen. This creates a different way of thinking among Norwegians, says Rösch. “They are not promoted, but fight their way through life.” The result is – although Germany has almost 16 times as many inhabitants – a larger selection of athletes “who have a lot more understanding for their bodies and for training and are much more independent.” According to Rösch, all of this is currently particularly evident in biathlon, but also in other winter sports. For example with the alpine (Braathen, Kilde, Kristoffersen), the ski jumpers (Granerud, Stroem) or the cross-country skiers (Kläbo, Golberg, Weng sisters).
Olympic champion in 2006, now a biathlon expert and currently a fact at the World Championships in Oberhof: Michael Rösch.
(Photo: opokupix/imago/opokupix)
The biathlete Johannes Thingnes Bö has so far won three out of three possible World Championship titles. He enrolled at Lillehammer University of Applied Sciences in 2012 and, like most of his colleagues (whether graduate or not), has a university background. Asking Bö and the other Norwegians about it is difficult these days, because the Norwegian delegation largely turns down international press inquiries. Michael Rösch answers calls via Whatsapp with an emoji laughing with tears. In the sense of: “seriously now?”
Rösch describes the inner workings of his head as “a vacuum with two spheres that meet every now and then and produce flashes of inspiration.” With all the childishness, he also knows other tones, more serious ones. Rösch is now talking about the Ukrainian biathlete Dmytro Pidrutschnyj, whom he knows well – and who was drafted by the Ukrainian military to defend the country from Russia in the summer. Rösch deliberately mentions this point.
It is about statements by the French ex-Olympic champion Martin Fourcade, who had advocated allowing Russian and Belarusian biathletes to compete again. “Pidrutschnyj showed me the pictures of his bombed-out homeland,” says Rösch. He has not yet heard from any Russian athlete who has distanced himself from Putin’s war. Of course, says Rösch, “they probably can’t do that that easily either.” But, also and above all, to send a signal to Russia: “For me, the Russian athletes don’t belong here.” Then he has to go to the commentator’s booth, where the golden jacket is waiting.