Overview
- Claudia Pechstein, whose appointment was announced Tuesday, will serve as interim Allround head coach through December 31, 2026 while keeping her training-center role in Inzell.
- Andreas Kraus takes over as interim Sprint head coach and continues as youth national coach, with Denny Ihle and Tony Seidenglanz stepping up to support the junior ranks.
- DESG president Matthias Große, Pechstein’s partner, said the appointments give the program planning security to year-end and time for an open hiring process for coaches to lead the 2030 Olympic build-up.
- The interim moves come after Milan’s medal-less Winter Games, the fourth straight Olympics without a German speed skating medal, and the return of prior head coaches Aart van der Wulp and Alexis Contin to their home federations.
- The federation has faced disputes in recent months, including a skater’s complaint about Contin that leadership denied, a Sportschau report on alleged irregularities, and a ban on two ARD journalists that drew criticism.