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The Croatian ski professional Elias Kolega ends his active career, switches to the ÖSV, and starts his coaching career in Austria.
In February, Elias Kolega started for the Croatian ski team at the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
Now the only 25-year-old stops. Kolega changed from the active to the coach. The ÖSV got to the technology specialist and hired him for his new team of coaches. The Croatian will be employed as the assistant coach of the European Cup team in the coming season.
The reason for his abrupt and early career end? After a tibia fracture as a result of a serious fall, he was no longer willing to take the necessary risk on the slopes. In the Croatian newspaper "Jutarnji" he explains his move: "ÖSV very rarely hires such a young foreign coach.
That's why it's a privilege to receive such an offer. It's the strongest national team in the world." In the Croatian team, Kolega was a protégé of ex-victory driver Ivica and his father Ante Kostelic.
Personnel changes in the ÖSV
Austria is repositioning itself as a skiing nation.
In the past few weeks, the ÖSV has parted ways with some well-known people - above all sports director Toni Giger. Alpine boss Patrick Riml, men's coach Andreas Puelacher and women's supervisor Christian Mitter are also history.
Herbert Mandl, the new sports director, appointed the coaching team for the coming World Cup season on Wednesday. Already known: Marko Pfeifer takes over the men, Thomas Trinker the women. Especially with the women, no stone was left unturned, the division trainers were also exchanged.
Two prominent names catch the eye: Alexander Hödlmoser and Livio Magoni. Magoni fell out with Vlhova Hödlmoser becomes the coach of the speed squad. The 53-year-old was active in the USA for years and was, among other things, the supervisor of superstar Lindsey Vonn.
Now he should help Conny Hütter and Co. to gain more speed. The technicians also scored a real coup. The Italian Magoni supports Georg Harzl. Magoni coached superstars Tina Maze and Petra Vlhova. However, the separation from the Slovak was dirty – the coach had said in an interview, among other things, that the runner was like an "iron".
Vlhova later said: "He treated me like a machine. Not like a woman who also has feelings, who has her periods and who sometimes fails. It was sick." Mandl is "absolutely satisfied with the composition of the ÖSV coaches. We were able to fill all positions as we had imagined."
