BERLIN, May 23 -- Jan Ullrich, who won the Tour de France in 1997, and former world champion swimmer Franziska van Almsick say Germany's younger generation of athletes lack the courage and committment to succeed in sport.

In an interview with German magazine Max, Ullrich and van Almsick said young German athletes lacked the drive of their generation and that the comforts of a prosperous society had blunted their competitive spirit.

"They go to play soccer but the first time they get kicked in the shins, they quit," said van Almsick, who won 10 Olympic silver and bronze medals between 1992 and 2004. She also holds the 200 metres freestyle record.

"That's part of sport, fighting back through setbacks," added van Almsick, 28, who retired in 2004. "But today's generation is an easy-going generation. No one sticks with it anymore."

She added that to become part of the elite in sport, athletes had to push through the pain barrier and that younger Germans lack the courage to do that.

Both van Almsick, born in East Berlin, and Ullrich, from Rostock, grew up in Communist East Germany, a country that used sport as a political tool and devoted enormous resources to finding and fostering young talent.

Ullrich, who won the Tour de France in 1997 and finished second five times, said Germany's younger generation could not handle the pain athletes had to suffer to be successful.

"We're always playing down our pain," said the 32-year-old, who also won a gold and silver medal at the 2000 Olympics.

"Those who judge me have no idea how much pain we go through every day. They would scream for three years non-stop if they only got a feel just once for the pain we endure every day."