[1] At the Biathlon World Championships 2013 he won a bronze medal with the German team in Men's relay.

His grandfather Axel Lesser competed in cross-country skiing for East Germany at the 1976 Winter Olympics.

A graduate of the Sports Gymnasium Oberhof, he started his competitive career with the club SV Eintracht Frankenhain.

In his World Cup debut in Kontiolahti on 12 March 2010, Lesser finished second in the German mixed relay with Kati Wilhelm, Magdalena Neuner and Simon Schempp.

In the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Erik Lesser won silver medals in the individual competition and with the German men's relay squad.