Kati Wilhelm

Kati Wilhelm was probably one of the most successful and decorated German biathletes in a career spanning more than 11 years. Wilhelm won three gold medals (sprint and relay in 2002, pursuit in 2006), three silvers (pursuit in 2002, mass start and relay in 2006), and one bronze medal (relay in 2010) at Winter Olympics from 1998 at Nagano to 2010 at Vancouver. She also won 13 medals at World Championships (5-4-4), and two bronze medals at European Championships.

In 2006, Wilhelm won the overall World Cup and was runner-up in 2005, 2007, and 2009. She also won the sprint overall World Cups in 2005-06, the pursuit overall World Cups in 2006-07, and 2009, and the mass start overall World Cup in 2007. In total, she won 21 individual World Cup races and 16 relay World Cup races. In 2006, she was chosen as Flagbearer of the opening ceremony at the Torino Winter Olympics and was named Sportswoman of the Year in Germany. She was awarded the Silver Bay Leaf, Germany’s highest sports award.

Wilhelm, well-known for her red hair, started her sports career as a cross-country skier but turned to biathlon in 1999. From the 2010/11 season she became a regular co-commentator with the German TV channel ARD. In 2014 she took over a restaurant in her hometown Steinbach-Hallenberg. She also engaged in local politics and studied international management.