Philipp Horn about the weak DSV season: “We are all average”

Biathlete Philipp Horn in the winter sports podcast on ex-coach Uroš Velepec, generation gaps, screams in the forest, bad losers and up and down in his career.

Sports show: Do you still remember your beginnings in biathlon and what role did your sister play?

Philipp Horn: I was on skis for the first time when I was four years old and always fueled my big sister. She is four years older than me and was much more successful in children and adolescence. She won everything and I was rather mediocre, but that spurred me to do it too. Somehow I got stuck.

Sports show: Your way to the top of the world was not straightforward. In 2019, they had to cope with the downgrading to the IBU Cup. How did you experience that back then?

horn: I was not only downgraded to the IBU Cup once. I was also degraded from the IBU Cup to the Germany Cup. I experienced an incredible number of setbacks. You learn to deal with it somewhere over time. But it is also always hard to find motivation, to get self -confidence, to believe in yourself and then put it on again.

World Cup bronze as an incredible moment of happiness

Sports show: At the 2020 World Cup you have won relay bronze and have now repeated this success. How did these two medals differ emotionally for you?

Horn: In the past five years I have remained behind my own expectations very often. It was not an easy time. So I would say that the last medal was significantly more emotional. It was a day, I won’t forget it. We were all in our arms. Every tears actually had it in their eyes. 2020 was very different. I was fresh in the World Cup, was the youngest in the team. And I think I was still naive enough to believe that it always goes on.

Sports show: They are a good runner, but it doesn’t always work. What is it like if you drive to a shooting range? Do you already have respect or fear of it?

Horn: I also had years when I ran a little anxiously to the shooting range, where I already knew: ‘Okay, that can almost only go in my pants now.’ If you walk to the shooting range with the feeling, then it also goes into your pants. Self -confidence is very, very important when shooting and you have to work out, either in training or about good results in the competition.

Emotions have to go out – also in the forest

Sports show: How do you deal with setbacks?

Horn: The environment is extremely important. I am glad that my wife understands me extremely well because she has done competitive sports for many years. The most important thing is that you really let out the emotions briefly. For example, after I failed at home in front of the home audience, I just briefly into the forest when leaving. I screamed once and crushed a tear. After that I walked back to the stadium and then it was better.

Sports show: Your wife is the former cross -country skier Antonia Fräbel. Do you also have biathlon -free time at your home?

Horn: I don’t want to think of sports just 24/7. I did that for many years. In the meantime I have become much more relaxed. I just notice that switching off and getting other thoughts is important.

Uroš Velepec – a strong personality

Sports show: After the World Cup there was the separation from men’s coach Uroš Velepec. How was that for you?

Horn: We have already noticed the tensions, but it was a bit surprising for everyone that it would be separated immediately after the World Cup. In the end, it was simply not what Germany hoped for from its biathletes. But you don’t have to reinvent everything. I think with his training philosophy, we might not necessarily get anywhere. But there was also a lot going on. I worked very well with Uroš and found it interesting in shooting to see other approaches. I have the feeling that the German shooting technique is limited or in one direction. Uros just had new approaches.

Sports show: Can you describe the training philosophy in more detail?

Horn: Several trainers and sports scientists decide on the annual plan. I think there have been differences in the past. Uroš was always a strong personality and wanted to enforce his views, which he often did. If the services do not fit, then at some point the coach is the first to lose his job.

Sports show: Were the footsteps of Mark Kirchner too big?

Horn: I didn’t have that feeling. Under Mark it was simply a golden generation. And I think a trainer always looks pretty good. We may have rested a little too much on the old successes, may not have gone over time and may have missed new training approaches.

Sports show: What has changed under Tobias Reiter?

Horn: Tobi is a completely different personality. It is significantly more structured, which is currently doing very well. And his speeches are very good. He not only knocks out the typical biathlon sayings, but really thinks about what is important.

The outlier in the German team is missing

Sports show: The German men are clearly behind Norway and France. What is missing to create the connection?

horn: In recent years it has often been the case that we brought mediocre shooting performance, but someone in the team always managed to get through somehow. And we are currently missing that. We are all average and this outlier is missing.

Sports show: They have commented on the youth work a little critically. Where do you see the biggest deficits?

Horn: We are a relatively old World Cup team. Most of us are over 30. The younger athletes who descendants are still in junior age. And I think they need another or two or three years to really fill the gap to the senior benefits. I’m really excited to see what it looks like. I still don’t know if I want to continue or not. And I also know from others that this is a question that is in the room.

Sports show: What has to happen so that the German men’s biathlon reply again of a rosy future?

Horn: We don’t have to throw the training over a bunch now. So even if we would continue the same way now, the probability that we will be competitive next year. Then it is really only important to put on the very small adjusting screws.

The entire interview with Philipp Horn with topics such as young talent, Norwegian miracle runners, coaching contact, career thanks to a small sister and the lack of outliers can be found in the complete podcast episode.