Double Olympic champion Maria Riesch was surprised and disappointed by the announced departure of the German women's head coach Mathias Berthold. "That was a shock! At the World Cup final he still said, I will not leave you," said the 25-year-old to the "Bild" newspaper.
"The fact that he goes after seven years and prior to our own World Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, hurts. The Austrians must have made him a good offer," Riesch added.
Berthold was presented on Monday as the new head coach of the struggling ÖSV men's team. With the help of the 44-year-old Austrian, the German ski ladies around Maria Riesch have found their way back to the top in recent years, most recently winning three gold medals at the Winter Olympics.
A new coach by mid-April
With the World Championships taking place from February 7 to 20, 2011 on home turf, the German Ski (DSV) is now looking for a new ladies head coach who needs to be determined until mid-April for the DSV convention.
Original text can be found here.
