Miriam Gössner

Miriam Gössner

Gössner in Sandnes, Norway, in July 2009.
Personal information
Full name Miriam Gössner
Born (1990-06-21) 21 June 1990
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, West Germany
Professional information
Sport Biathlon
Cross-country skiing
Club Ski Club Garmisch[1]
World Cup debut 2 December 2009
7 March 2009
Olympic Games
Teams 0
1 (2010)[2]
Medals 0
1 (0 gold)
World Championships
Teams 3 (2011, 2012, 2013)
2 (2009, 2013)
Medals 2 (2 gold)
1 (0 gold)
World Cup
Seasons 6 (2009/10–)
Individual races 116
All races 134
Individual victories 3
All victories 7
Individual podiums 10
All podiums 18
Medal record
Representing  Germany
Women's biathlon
World Championships
2011 Khanty-Mansiysk 4 × 6 km relay
2012 Ruhpolding 4 × 6 km relay
Women's cross-country skiing
Olympic Games
2010 Vancouver 4 × 5 km relay
World Championships
2009 Liberec 4 × 5 km relay
Updated on 4 December 2016.

Miriam Gössner (born 21 June 1990) is a German biathlete and cross-country skier. She has won an Olympic silver medal in cross-country skiing and two biathlon world championship titles, all in team events. Noted for her fast skiing performances, she won two junior world championship titles in biathlon in 2008 and 2009. Gössner was called up for the Nordic World Ski Championships 2009, where she was part of Germany's cross-country team claiming silver in the 4 × 5 kilometre relay.

At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Gössner won a silver medal in cross-country skiing in the 4 × 5 kilometre relay. She returned to biathlon for the 2010–11 season, achieving three podium finishes in her first complete winter on the Biathlon World Cup tour. At the Biathlon World Championships 2011, Gössner won the gold medal in the women's relay. The following year she defended the world championship title with the German team in the 2012 women's relay. Gössner claimed her first individual World Cup win in December 2012.

Early life

Miriam Gössner was born in the German alpine resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria. Her father is German and her mother Norwegian, born in Molde, Norway. Gössner grew up bilingually and is fluent in Norwegian.[3] She originally hoped for a career in alpine skiing, but following an accident during slalom training, in which she lost several teeth and suffered a broken cheekbone, she instead started biathlon at the age of 14.[4] Until 2011, she had been involved in a four-year relationship with German biathlete Simon Schempp.[5] She now lives in a relationship with fellow German alpine skier Felix Neureuther.

Career

Early career

After deciding to pursue a career in biathlon, Gössner joined the German Customs Administration in August 2006 to become a member in the government-supported Customs-Ski-Team (Zoll-Ski-Team). She officially holds the rank of Zollhauptwachtmeisterin (head customs officer),[6] although she is a full-time professional athlete with no customs obligations. For several years Gössner trained alongside retired Olympic champion Magdalena Neuner in Mittenwald, one of Germany's biathlon bases.[7] Her local coach is Bernhard Kröll.[8]

Gössner qualified for the 2008 Biathlon Junior/Youth World Championships in Ruhpolding, Germany, where she won gold as part of the German relay team. One year later at the 2009 Biathlon Junior/Youth World Championships in Canmore, Alberta, Canada, Gössner won the pursuit title. She also won silver in the sprint, bronze in the relay, and came in fourth place in the individual. Early on, Gössner was noted for her fast skiing performances. She won the junior pursuit gold in spite of eight shooting errors and came in fourth in the individual with a total time penalty of six minutes.[1]

Because of her fast skiing times, Germany's cross-country coach, Jochen Behle, called her up as a late replacement for the freestyle sprint at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec, Czech Republic. She came in 17th place during qualification, but did not advance beyond the quarter-final in the main competition, eventually finishing in 19th position. After Stefanie Böhler had to withdraw, Gössner was picked for the 4 × 5 kilometre relay. She set the fastest time of all racers on her lap and reduced Germany's gap to the lead by 55.1 seconds, playing an important part in Germany's silver medal win. Gössner could not compete in biathlon for the remainder of the season due to a thumb injury, therefore she debuted in the FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Lahti, Finland in March 2009, winning her first World Cup points with two top-30 finishes.[2]

Olympic cross-country silver (2009–10 season)

Gössner made her debut in the Biathlon World Cup in Östersund, Sweden, in December 2009, the first event of the 2009–10 season. She finished in 73rd place in the individual and 58th in the sprint race, with seven and five shooting errors respectively. She saw no chance to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics in biathlon and concentrated on cross-country skiing for the remaining season. Gössner competed at the 2009–10 Tour de Ski, finishing in 5th place in the prologue, which secured her the Olympic qualification in cross-country skiing. She continued with good results in the cross-country World Cup, coming in 5th in the sprint and 4th in the team sprint in Rybinsk, Russia.

The Winter Olympics in Vancouver started with a setback for Gössner. She was looking for a potential top ten finish in the 10 kilometre freestyle race, before crashing on the second loop. She injured her shoulder and lost time, eventually finishing in 21st place.[9] On 25 February 2010, running the third leg alongside Katrin Zeller, Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle and Claudia Nystad for Germany, Gössner claimed the silver medal in the 4 × 5 kilometre relay. After the Olympics, she remained with the cross-country team through the end of the season. Her best World Cup result was a second place in Lahti, again coming in a women's relay event.[2] Along with all Olympic medal winners, she received the Silberne Lorbeerblatt (Silver Laurel Leaf), the highest state decoration for athletes in Germany.[10]

Initial biathlon success (2010–11 season)

Despite repeated attempts by head coach Jochen Behle to convince her to stay with the cross-country team, Gössner decided to return to biathlon for the 2010–11 season, even if she had to compete in second tier IBU Cup races initially.[11] However, she was picked for the German team at the World Cup opening in Östersund. In the first race of the season, she finished in 39th place in the individual race, winning her first Biathlon World Cup points. Two days later, Gössner shot clean and came in second place in the sprint race. In the subsequent pursuit, she defended her second place. She set the fastest course time in both races and was beaten only by Finland's Kaisa Mäkäräinen.[1]

Following her surprising podiums, Gössner continued the season with average results, earning World Cup points in 11 of her next 13 individual races. However, she failed to reach any more top ten positions because of poor shooting performances. In Pokljuka, Slovenia, Gössner competed in her first biathlon team event, a mixed relay race. She incurred four penalty loops in the standing shoot, with Germany finishing eighth eventually. One month later in Antholz, Italy, she reached third place in the women's relay with Germany, again skiing two penalty loops. At the World Cup stop in Fort Kent in the United States, Gössner claimed her third career podium, coming in second behind team mate Andrea Henkel in the sprint race.

In March 2011, Gössner made her first appearance at the Biathlon World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. She achieved good results, finishing in 9th place in the sprint, 7th in the pursuit and 14th in the mass start, and was consequently selected for the women's relay. Alongside Andrea Henkel, Tina Bachmann and Magdalena Neuner, Gössner ran the second leg for Germany, but again struggled with the standing shoot and had to ski two penalty loops. A strong finish by team mate Magdalena Neuner on the last leg, however, gave Gössner her first world championship gold medal and first World Cup win.[12] Gössner ended her first complete biathlon season with three individual podiums and seven top ten finishes, ranked 14th in the overall World Cup standings.[1]

Disappointing second season (2011–12 season)

During the summer of 2011, Gössner had to undergo an emergency intestinal operation after being diagnosed with a volvulus.[13] The 2011–12 World Cup season did not go as well as the previous winter. Gössner was struggling with her skiing speed and she only reached one individual top ten position during the entire season. A sixth place in the Kontiolahti sprint was her best position of the winter, shooting clean but not skiing fast enough for a podium finish.[14] Four of her five best results during the 2011–12 season came in sprint events.[1]

At the 2012 World Championships in Ruhpolding, Gössner managed to end the season with a good performance in front of her home fans. Despite mixed results, she was selected to run the third leg of Germany's women's relay, alongside Tina Bachmann, Magdalena Neuner and Andrea Henkel. She used three spare rounds and led the team from third to first position, playing a pivotal part in Germany's eventual relay victory.[15]

First individual World Cup victory (2012–13 season)

Gössner lost 10 kilograms during the summer, in an effort to regain her outstanding skiing pace.[16] At the beginning of the 2012–13 season, she was once again able to set the fastest course times. At the third World Cup stop in Pokljuka, Slovenia, Gössner finished all three races on the podium. She missed her first individual victory by 2.0 seconds in the sprint, before claiming her maiden World Cup win in the following pursuit, despite a total of five penalty loops.[17] She ended her weekend with another second place in the Pokljuka mass start.

After the Christmas break, Gössner claimed her second World Cup win in the Oberhof sprint race.[18] She also came third with the German relay team in the Oberhof women's relay. One week later, she won her second sprint race in a row in Ruhpolding.[19] At the last World Cup stage before the world championships, Gössner missed seven out of ten targets in the Antholz sprint, finishing in 62nd place. It was the second worst result of her career, which also meant she failed to qualify for the subsequent pursuit. However, two days later in the last event before the 2013 world championships she was part of Germany's winning relay team.[1]

Biathlon statistics

Skiing

Gössner competing at a World Cup race in Oberhof, Germany.

Gössner is known as one of the fastest cross-country skiers in biathlon. During 17 of her 75 World Cup races (23%), she has set the fastest course time (race time without time spent at the shooting range or in the penalty loop). In addition, she has been among the top three fastest skiers in 52% of her career races. At junior level, Gössner was noted for her fast skiing performances and she often had been able to make up for multiple shooting errors on the cross-country course. In her first two World Cup races in the 2009–10 season, she achieved the 9th and 15th fastest course time respectively. One year later during the 2010–11 season, Gössner set the fastest skiing time in 8 of her 25 races, out-skiing most of the field's top contenders on a regular basis. Her skiing performances dropped off considerably in 2011–12 when she only managed one top three course time. During the 2012–13 season, Gössner returned to her fast ski speed, setting the best course time in nine consecutive races.[1]

Course times 2009–10 season 2010–11 season 2011–12 season 2012–13 season Career
Fastest 0 / 2 0% 8 / 25 32% 0 / 24 0% 9 / 24 38% 17 / 75 23%
2nd fastest 0 / 2 0% 6 / 25 24% 1 / 24 4% 6 / 24 25% 13 / 75 17%
3rd fastest 0 / 2 0% 5 / 25 20% 0 / 24 0% 4 / 24 17% 9 / 75 12%
Other 2 / 2 100% 6 / 25 24% 23 / 24 96% 5 / 24 21% 36 / 75 48%
*Key:Number of respective times achieved / number of all races entered, percentage. Results in IBU World Cup races, no relay events.[1][20]
**Statistics as of 17 March 2013, the end of the 2012–13 season.

Shooting

As of January 2013, Gössner has a career shooting accuracy of 70%. Her career average in the prone position is 76%, while her career average in the standing position is 64%. Her shooting results in the prone position are slightly below average, while her standing position percentage is among the worst of the entire World Cup field. In her three seasons on the World Cup tour, Gössner produced highly inconsistent shooting results. She shot clean twice (in her first podium finish in the 2010 Östersund sprint, as well as the 2012 Kontiolahti sprint), but also had three races with a total of nine shooting errors (2011 Antholz mass start, 2011 Presque Isle pursuit, 2012 Khanty-Mansiysk mass start). In the 2013 Oberhof pursuit she even had 10 errors, however finished 10th due to an outstanding skiing performance. When she claimed her first World Cup victory she skied five penalty loops (2012 Pokljuka pursuit).[1]

Shooting 2009–10 season 2010–11 season 2011–12 season 2012–13 season Career
Prone position 11 / 15 73% 177 / 220 80% 161 / 215 75% 173 / 233 74% 522 / 683 76%
Standing position 7 / 15 47% 123 / 224 55% 147 / 217 68% 167 / 241 69% 444 / 697 64%
Total 18 / 30 60% 300 / 444 68% 308 / 432 71% 340 / 474 72% 966 / 1380 70%
*Key:Hits / shots, percentage. Results in all IBU World Cup races including relay events.[1][20]
**Statistics as of 17 March 2013, the end of the 2012–13 season.

Record

Olympic Games

At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, Gössner competed in cross-country skiing, after she had failed to qualify for the German biathlon team. She finished in 21st place in the 10 kilometre freestyle race, before winning the silver medal with Katrin Zeller, Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle and Claudia Nystad in the 4 × 5 kilometre relay.[2]

Event 10 km freestyle 15 km pursuit 30 km classical 4 × 5 km relay Sprint classical Team sprint
Canada 2010 Vancouver 21st — — Silver — —

Biathlon World Championships

Gössner made her debut at the Biathlon World Championships at the 2011 competition in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. Following top ten finishes in the sprint and pursuit races, she won her first world title in the women's relay, claiming the gold medal alongside Andrea Henkel, Tina Bachmann and Magdalena Neuner. One year later, Gössner successfully defended the women's relay gold medal with the same German team.[1]

Event Individual Sprint Pursuit Mass Start Relay Mixed Relay
Russia 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk — 9th 7th 14th Gold —
Germany 2012 Ruhpolding 36th 37th 22nd — Gold —
Czech Republic 2013 Nové Město 35th 6th 21st 6th 5th 13th

Nordic World Ski Championships

Courtesy of her fast skiing at junior level in biathlon, Gössner was called up as a late replacement for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec, Czech Republic. She came in 19th place in the freestyle sprint race and won the silver medal with Katrin Zeller, Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle and Claudia Nystad in the 4 × 5 kilometre relay.[2]

Event 10 km 15 km pursuit 30 km freestyle 4 × 5 km relay Sprint Team sprint
Czech Republic 2009 Liberec — — — Silver 19th —
Italy 2013 Val di Fiemme 4th — — — —

Biathlon World Cup

Gössner made her debut in the Biathlon World Cup in the 2009–10 season. After two disappointing races at the beginning of the winter, she joined the German cross-country team. She had ten appearances on the FIS Cross-Country World Cup tour, including three top ten finishes in non-team races.[2] The following winter, Gössner returned to biathlon for the 2010–11 season. In the overall standings she finished her first complete World Cup season in 14th place.[1]

Season Individual Sprint Pursuit Mass Start Overall
Races Points Position Races Points Position Races Points Position Races Points Position Races Points Position
2009–10 1/4 0 – 1/10 0 – 0/6 – – 0/5 – – 2/25 0 –
2010–11 3/4 4 66th 10/10 266 9th 7/7 206 9th 5/5 117 16th 25/26 593 14th
2011–12 3/3 5 61st 10/10 146 20th 8/8 127 20th 3/5 44 32nd 24/26 322 27th
2012–13 3/3 42 24th 10/10 337 3rd 6/8 207 13th 5/5 160 8th 24/26 746 9th
*Key:Races—number of entered races/all races; Points—won World Cup points; Position—World Cup season ranking.[1]
**Statistics as of 17 March 2013.

World Cup wins

Gössner with Gabriela Soukalová and Marie Dorin Habert on the podium for her first World Cup win in Pokljuka, Slovenia.

Gössner reached her first personal World Cup win during her fourth season. As of January 2013, she has won 3 individual World Cup races. In addition, she has won three relays as part of the German team. Her first two victories both occurred in world championship races.[1]

Individual wins (3)
No. Date Location Discipline
1 15 December 2012 Slovenia Pokljuka, Slovenia Pursuit
2 5 January 2013 Germany Oberhof, Germany Sprint
3 11 January 2013 Germany Ruhpolding, Germany Sprint
Relay wins (4)
No. Date Location Discipline
1 13 March 2011 Russia Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia (WCH) Relay
2 10 March 2012 Germany Ruhpolding, Germany (WCH) Relay
3 11 January 2013 Italy Antholz, Italy Relay
4 10 March 2013 Russia Sochi, Russia Relay
*Key:WCH—World Championships. Statistics as of 17 March 2013.[1]

Overall biathlon record

As of the end of the 2012–13 season, Gössner has competed in 89 Biathlon World Cup events, claiming three individual wins: one pursuit and two sprint races. In team events, she claimed her maiden World Cup win in the 2011 World Championships relay with Germany. Gössner has achieved 34 top ten finishes—38.20 per cent of all the races she has entered.[1]

Result Individual Sprint Pursuit Mass Start Relay Mixed Relay Total
1st Place – 2 1 – 4 – 7
2nd Place – 3 1 1 1 – 6
3rd Place – 2 – – 3 – 5
4-10 – 5 6 3 6 3 22
11-20 1 11 6 7 - 1 26
21-40 6 12 13 6 - - 37
41-60 5 12 7 - - - 24
Others 3 3 - – – – 6
DNF – – – – – – 0
DSQ – - – – – – 0
Starts 15 5034 17 14 4 134
*Results in all IBU World Cup races, Olympics and World Championships. Statistics as of 3 December 2016.[1]

Biathlon Junior/Youth World Championships

Gössner has won two gold medals, as well as one silver and one bronze medal at the Biathlon Junior/Youth World Championships. In 2008, she competed at her first junior world championships when they were held in Ruhpolding, Germany, winning gold as part of the German relay team. One year later in Canmore, Alberta, Canada, Gössner won the pursuit title after claiming the silver medal in the sprint, and she also won bronze in the relay.[1]

Event Individual Sprint Pursuit Relay
Germany 2008 Ruhpolding 33rd 15th 13th Gold
Canada 2009 Canmore 4th Silver Gold Bronze

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 International Biathlon Union. Miriam Gössner. IBU Datacenter. Accessed 3 December 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 International Ski Federation. Biography – Miriam Gössner. FIS-Ski.com. Accessed 3 December 2010.
  3. ↑ Haugli, Kurt. «Beste norske» gikk for Tyskland. Aftenposten.no. 3 December 2010. Accessed 4 December 2010. (Norwegian)
  4. ↑ Regelmann, Florian. "Ich habe keine Poster im Zimmer". Spox.com. 10 December 2009. Accessed 4 December 2010. (German)
  5. ↑ Felske, Thorsten. Im Frühling starb ihre Liebe. Bild.de. 3 November 2011. Accessed 5 February 2013. (German)
  6. ↑ German Federal Ministry of Finance. Miriam Gössner. Zoll.de. Accessed 4 December 2010. (German)
  7. ↑ Biathletin Miriam Gössner: Die Zier der Bescheidenheit. Merkur-online.de. 2 December 2008. Accessed 4 December 2010. (German)
  8. ↑ Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Miriam Gössner auf Achterbahn der Gefühle. T-online.de. 7 January 2013. Accessed 6 February 2013. (German)
  9. ↑ German Federal Ministry of Finance. Miriam Gössner stürzt bei ihrem Olympiaauftakt. Zoll.de. Accessed 4 December 2010. (German)
  10. ↑ Federal Ministry of the Interior. Auszeichnung mit dem Silbernen Lorbeerblatt. Bund.de. Accessed 6 February 2013. (German)
  11. ↑ Hat diese Frau 'nen Schuss?. Bild.de. 6 November 2010. Accessed 4 December 2010. (German)
  12. ↑ International Biathlon Union. IBU World Championships – Khanty-Mansiysk (RUS) – Women 4 × 6 km Relay. IBU Datacenter. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  13. ↑ Kloo, Andreas. DSV-Sorgenkinder: Mysteriöse Erschöpfung und Not-OP. Sprot1.de. 23 November 2011. Accessed 6 February 2013. (German)
  14. ↑ International Biathlon Union. E.ON Ruhrgas IBU World Cup – Kontiolahti (FIN) – Women 7.5 km Sprint. IBU Datacenter. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  15. ↑ International Biathlon Union. IBU World Championships – Ruhpolding (GER) – Women 4 × 6 km Relay. IBU Datacenter. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  16. ↑ Nister, Christoph. Miriam Gössner: "Ich habe mich verändert". Laola1.at. 28 November 2012. Accessed 5 February 2013. (German)
  17. ↑ International Biathlon Union. E.ON Ruhrgas IBU World Cup – Pokljuka (SLO) – Women 10 km Pursuit. IBU Datacenter. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  18. ↑ International Biathlon Union. E.ON Ruhrgas IBU World Cup – Oberhof (GER) – Women 7.5 km Sprint. IBU Datacenter. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  19. ↑ International Biathlon Union. E.ON Ruhrgas IBU World Cup – Ruhpolding (GER) – Women 7.5 km Sprint. IBU Datacenter. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  20. 1 2 Biathlon Federation of Ukraine. Gössner Miriam. Biathlon.com.ua. Accessed 30 July 2011.
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