Miriam Neureuther facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Miriam Neureuther

Gössner in Norway in 2009
Personal information
Birth name	Miriam Gössner
Born	(1990-06-21) 21 June 1990 (age 35) Garmisch-Partenkirchen, West Germany
Height	1.67 m
Weight	57 kg
Professional information
Sport	Biathlon Cross-country skiing
Club	Ski Club Garmisch
Skis	Fischer
Rifle	Anschütz
World Cup debut	2 December 2009 7 March 2009
Olympic Games
Teams	0 1 (2010)
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 victories	3
All victories	7
Individual podiums	10
All podiums	18
Medal record Representing  Germany Women's biathlon World Championships Gold 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk 4 × 6 km relay Gold 2012 Ruhpolding 4 × 6 km relay Junior World Championships Gold 2008 Ruhpolding 3 × 6 km relay Gold 2009 Canmore 10 km pursuit Silver 2009 Canmore 7.5 km sprint Bronze 2009 Canmore 3 × 6 km relay Women's cross-country skiing Olympic Games Silver 2010 Vancouver 4 × 5 km relay World Championships Silver 2009 Liberec 4 × 5 km relay
Updated on 18 January 2017.

Miriam Neureuther (born Gössner on June 21, 1990) is a former German athlete who was a star in two different winter sports: biathlon and cross-country skiing. She won an Olympic silver medal in cross-country skiing and two gold medals at the Biathlon World Championships, all in team relay events.

Known for being an incredibly fast skier, Neureuther first showed her talent by winning two junior world championship titles in biathlon. She was so fast that she was asked to join Germany's cross-country ski team for the 2009 Nordic World Ski Championships. There, she helped her team win a silver medal in the 4 × 5-kilometer relay.

At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, she won another silver medal in the same cross-country relay event. After the Olympics, she focused on biathlon and quickly became one of the top competitors. She won two world championship titles with the German women's relay team in 2011 and 2012. In December 2012, she earned her first victory in an individual World Cup race.

Personal Life

Miriam Gössner was born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a famous town in the German Alps. Her father is German and her mother is from Norway, so she grew up speaking both German and Norwegian.

At first, she wanted to be an alpine skier. But after an accident during training where she was badly injured, she switched to biathlon when she was 14.

Since 2013, she has been with German alpine skier Felix Neureuther. They have a daughter named Matilda, who was born in 2017. Miriam and Felix got married in December 2017.

Athletic Career

A Star in Two Sports

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

After switching to biathlon, Gössner quickly became a top young athlete. At the 2008 Junior World Championships, she won a gold medal with the German relay team. The next year, she won a gold medal in the pursuit race and a silver in the sprint. She was known for being so fast on skis that she could make up for mistakes in the shooting part of the race.

Her amazing speed caught the eye of Germany's cross-country ski coach. In 2009, she was asked to compete in the Nordic World Ski Championships. She helped the German team win a silver medal in the 4 × 5 km relay. She skied her part of the race faster than anyone else.

Olympic Silver and Biathlon Success

Gössner's success in cross-country skiing earned her a spot on the German team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. There, she and her teammates Katrin Zeller, Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle, and Claudia Nystad won the silver medal in the 4 × 5 km relay. For this achievement, she received the Silberne Lorbeerblatt (Silver Laurel Leaf), Germany's highest sports award.

After the Olympics, Gössner decided to focus on biathlon. In her first full season, she had three individual podium finishes, meaning she placed in the top three. At the Biathlon World Championships 2011, she won her first gold medal as part of the German women's relay team. The next year, at the Biathlon World Championships 2012, she and her team won the relay gold medal again.

The 2012–13 season was her best ever. She won her first individual World Cup race in a pursuit event in Pokljuka, Slovenia. She went on to win two more sprint races that season, proving she was one of the best biathletes in the world.

Injury and Later Career

In 2013, Gössner had a serious back injury from a cycling accident. This injury prevented her from competing in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. After the accident, she struggled to get back to her top form in biathlon.

After taking time off to have her daughter, she decided to return to racing in cross-country skiing instead of biathlon. She felt she could no longer shoot as accurately as she needed to for biathlon.

Speaking Out for Athletes

In 2023, Neureuther and fellow German athlete Kim Bui hosted a documentary about the challenges athletes face with eating disorders. They shared their own experiences and talked with other famous athletes to raise awareness about this important issue.

In 2024, Neureuther also spoke up about the demanding schedules in professional winter sports. She questioned whether there was enough support for female athletes who are also mothers.

Biathlon World Championships

Gössner won two gold medals at the Biathlon World Championships. Both victories came in the women's relay event with the German team.

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

Cross-Country Skiing Results

Olympic Games

• 1 medal – (1 silver)

World Championships

• 1 medal – (1 silver)

Images for kids

• 

  Gössner (center) on the podium after her first World Cup win in Pokljuka, Slovenia. She is with Gabriela Soukalová (left) and Marie Dorin Habert (right).

See also

In Spanish: Miriam Neureuther para niños