“Mentally I was dead at times”
German Olympic champion reveals depression
Updated on 02/24/2026 – 08:14 amReading time: 2 minutes
From medal hero to survivor: Why biathlon Olympic champion Michael Rösch only seeks help after the end of his career – and what he advises other affected people.
Biathlon Olympic champion Michael Rösch has spoken about his depression for the first time. “The Olympic victory was public. The hardest battle took place in silence. Mentally I was dead at times,” said the 42-year-old to the German Press Agency.
After he became Olympic champion in the relay in Turin in February 2006 at the age of just 22, he was considered the new face of German biathlon. Until 2009, Rösch won three World Cup bronze medals in the relay, as well as two World Cup victories and further podium finishes. In terms of sport, however, he was unable to meet the high expectations. There were also financial problems.
In 2009, the Saxon experienced his first low point in Pokljuka. “I left the stadium with a garbage bag over my shoulder – I was broken inside,” said Rösch in the joint podcast with Christian Akber-Sade “Nacksch – from Olympic victory to depression,” with which he wants to encourage other sufferers.
Rösch later lost his World Cup place and missed the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. He did not seek psychological help because he long believed that mental problems were a personal failure. “Anyone who seeks help was not considered resilient,” said Rösch. The fact that this has changed in recent years is a great step forward.
In the 2011/12 season he missed the home World Cup in Ruhpolding despite fulfilling the World Cup standard. Even before that, he experienced moments of panic. Based on his manager’s idea, he then decided to move to Belgium and gave up his civil service status with the federal police. But because the change lasted until January 2014, he had the first “beginning of suicidal thoughts” in January 2013.
In 2015, after a diagnosis of glandular fever and a ruptured Achilles tendon, a “life-threatening situation” arose a few days after an operation. “The months that followed were vegetative,” said Rösch.
