Kati Wilhelm (; born 2 August 1976 in
Schmalkalden
Schmalkalden () is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in the southwest of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is on the southern slope of the Thuringian Forest at the Schmalkalde river, a tributary to the Werra. , the town had a popul ...
) is a German former professional
biathlete
The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not time ...
. Like most German biathletes she is also a member of the German Armed Forces (''
Bundeswehr
The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...
'') with the rank of master
sergeant (''
Hauptfeldwebel
In the German Wehrmacht, Hauptfeldwebel (short: HptFw; address: ''Herr Hauptfeldwebel'') was not a rank but a position title, assignment or appointment, equivalent to the Commonwealth company sergeant major or U.S. company-level first serge ...
''). Wilhelm resides in
Steinbach-Hallenberg
Steinbach-Hallenberg is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the Thuringian Forest, 8 km east of Schmalkalden, and 13 km northwest of Suhl. The former municipalities Altersbach, Bermba ...
, in the Federal State of
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and lar ...
.
Career
Wilhelm was born in
Schmalkalden
Schmalkalden () is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in the southwest of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is on the southern slope of the Thuringian Forest at the Schmalkalde river, a tributary to the Werra. , the town had a popul ...
, then
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
(now in the Federal State of
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and lar ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
). She started training
cross-country skiing as a child in 1983 and was a member of the German cross-country ski team at the
1998 Nagano Olympic Games. In 1999, while attending the
Military World Games, she came into contact with
biathlon
The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not time ...
and was hooked on the sport. Her decision to switch to biathlon proved to be a good one. The next year she experienced her first successes including a
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
victory. During the
Salt Lake City Olympic Games in, she was the most decorated female biathlete, winning gold medals in the 7.5 km sprint and the 4 × 6 km relay. She also won a silver medal in the 10 km pursuit. After two years of struggling, she finally moved to
Ruhpolding
Ruhpolding is the municipality with the biggest area of the Traunstein district in southeastern Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the south of the Chiemgau region in the Alps and next to the Austrian border.
Ruhpolding has a biathlon track. ...
, Bavaria in 2004. She regained her strength and placed second in the 2004–05 World Cup season, defeated only by Frenchwoman
Sandrine Bailly
Sandrine Bailly (born 25 November 1979 in Belley, Ain) is a former French biathlete. She was most successful in the 2004–05 season, when she won the overall World Cup, and in the 2007–08 season, when she finished second. In 2003, s ...
. At the
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second ...
in
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...
, she carried the German flag at the opening ceremony. After winning her third Olympic gold medal in the 10 km pursuit as well as silver in the mass start and with the German relay, she became the best female biathlete at the Olympics ever. Moreover, she dominated the 2005–06 World Cup season, winning six races and the overall World Cup trophy. She was elected "biathlete of the year 2006" as well as "German sportswoman of the year 2006". In total she has 21
IBU Biathlon World Cup
The Biathlon World Cup is a top-level biathlon season-long competition series. It has been held since the winter seasons of 1977–78 for men and 1982–83 for women. The women's seasons until 1986–87 season were called the European Cup, alt ...
wins.
In the
2006–07 World Cup season, she finished second for the overall World Cup title behind teammate
Andrea Henkel. In the
2008–09 World Cup season, she finished second for the overall World Cup title behind
Helena Jonsson, with both biathletes scoring 952 points. Jonsson was awarded the overall title by virtue of her four World Cup victories against Wilhelm's three.
The German media gave her the nickname ''"Rotkäppchen"'' (
Little Red Riding Hood
"Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brot ...
) because of her characteristic red hair and the red cap she uses in competition. She was able to translate her Olympic victories into multiple endorsement deals, including print and television advertising. Wilhelm announced her retirement from biathlon on 9 March 2010 so that she could focus on her studies. She took part in the International biathlon competition on the "Prize in memory of Vitaly Fatyanov", Kamchatka 2010. The event was held in
Kamchatka
The Kamchatka Peninsula (russian: полуостров Камчатка, Poluostrov Kamchatka, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and west ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
on 15–17 April, where Kati came 3rd in Sprint and won a Pursuit race.
In 2004, Wilhelm was a delegate to the
Federal Convention for the
Social Democrats
Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...
.
Wilhelm retired as an athlete after the
2009–10 season.
Biathlon achievements
*
Biathlon World Cup
The Biathlon World Cup is a top-level biathlon season-long competition series. It has been held since the winter seasons of 1977–78 for men and 1982–83 for women. The women's seasons until 1986–87 season were called the European Cup, alt ...
** 1 × overall winner (2005–06)
** 3 × overall runner-up (2004–05, 2006–07, 2008–09)
** 21 individual victories
Cross-country skiing results
All results are sourced from the
International Ski Federation (FIS).
Olympic Games
World Championships
World Cup
Season standings
See also
*
Germany at the 2006 Winter Olympics
References
External links
*
*
*
Women's 4 x 5 km cross-country relay Olympic results: 1976–2002
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilhelm, Kati
1976 births
Living people
People from Schmalkalden
German female biathletes
German female cross-country skiers
Olympic biathletes of Germany
Olympic cross-country skiers of Germany
Biathletes at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Biathletes at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Biathletes at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Cross-country skiers at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Olympic gold medalists for Germany
Olympic silver medalists for Germany
Olympic bronze medalists for Germany
Olympic medalists in biathlon
Biathlon World Championships medalists
Medalists at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Medalists at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Medalists at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Sportspeople from Thuringia