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Miriam Neureuther
Miriam Gössner (cropped).JPG
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 as Miriam Gössner on June 21, 1990) is a German athlete. She used to compete in two winter sports: biathlon and cross-country skiing.

Miriam won a silver medal at the Olympic Games in cross-country skiing. She also earned two gold medals at the Biathlon World Championships. All these big wins were in team events. She was known for being a very fast skier. She won two junior world championship titles in biathlon in 2008 and 2009.

In 2009, Miriam joined Germany's cross-country team for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009. There, her team won a silver medal in the 4 × 5 kilometer relay race. At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, she won another silver medal in the 4 × 5 kilometer cross-country relay.

After the Olympics, Miriam returned to biathlon for the 2010–11 season. She quickly achieved three podium finishes in her first full season on the Biathlon World Cup tour. At the Biathlon World Championships 2011, Miriam won a gold medal in the women's relay. The next year, she and her German team defended their world championship title in the 2012 women's relay. Miriam won her first individual World Cup race in December 2012.

About Miriam Neureuther

Miriam Gössner was born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a town in Bavaria, Germany. Her father is German, and her mother is Norwegian. Because of this, Miriam grew up speaking both German and Norwegian.

She first wanted to be an alpine skiing athlete. But after an accident during slalom training, she changed her mind. She started biathlon when she was 14 years old. In 2017, she married German alpine skier Felix Neureuther. They have a daughter named Matilda.

Miriam's Sports Career

Starting Out in Biathlon

After deciding to focus on biathlon, Miriam joined the German Customs Administration in 2006. This program helps athletes train full-time. She trained with famous Olympic champion Magdalena Neuner for several years.

Miriam competed in the 2008 Biathlon Junior/Youth World Championships in Ruhpolding, Germany. She won a gold medal with the German relay team. A year later, at the 2009 Junior/Youth World Championships in Canmore, Alberta, Canada, she won the pursuit title. She also won a silver medal in the sprint and a bronze in the relay. Miriam was known for her fast skiing, even if she missed some targets in shooting.

Because she was such a fast skier, Germany's cross-country coach asked her to join the team. She competed in the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec, Czech Republic. She helped Germany win a silver medal in the 4 × 5 kilometer relay. After this, she had a thumb injury and couldn't compete in biathlon for a while. She then started competing in the FIS Cross-Country World Cup.

Olympic Silver in Cross-Country

Miriam started competing in the Biathlon World Cup in December 2009. She didn't do well in her first few races. So, she decided to focus on cross-country skiing for the rest of the season. She competed in the 2009–10 Tour de Ski and qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics in cross-country skiing.

At the Vancouver Olympics, Miriam had a small accident during the 10 kilometer freestyle race. She injured her shoulder but still finished 21st. On February 25, 2010, she won a silver medal in the 4 × 5 kilometer cross-country relay with her German teammates. After the Olympics, she continued with the cross-country team. She received the Silberne Lorbeerblatt (Silver Laurel Leaf), which is Germany's highest award for athletes.

First Biathlon Success

Miriam decided to return to biathlon for the 2010–11 season. In her first race, she earned her first Biathlon World Cup points. Two days later, she finished second in the sprint race without missing any targets. She also kept her second place in the next pursuit race. She was the fastest skier in both races.

Miriam continued to earn World Cup points in many races. In Antholz, Italy, she helped the German women's relay team get third place. Later, in Fort Kent, Maine, USA, she came in second in a sprint race.

In March 2011, Miriam competed in her first Biathlon World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. She did well in individual races, finishing 9th in the sprint and 7th in the pursuit. She was chosen for the women's relay team. Even though she had some shooting errors, her teammate Magdalena Neuner helped the team win the gold medal. This was Miriam's first world championship gold and her first World Cup win. She finished her first full biathlon season ranked 14th overall.

A Challenging Second Season

In the summer of 2011, Miriam had an emergency surgery. This affected her performance in the 2011–12 World Cup season. She struggled with her skiing speed and only reached one top ten finish in an individual race. Her best result was a sixth place in a sprint race.

However, at the 2012 World Championships in Ruhpolding, Miriam finished the season well. She was chosen for Germany's women's relay team. She helped the team move from third to first place, playing a key role in their relay victory.

First Individual World Cup Win

Miriam worked hard to get back her fast skiing speed for the 2012–13 season. She was once again setting the fastest times on the course. At the third World Cup stop in Pokljuka, Slovenia, Miriam finished on the podium in all three races. She won her first individual World Cup race in the pursuit event, even with five shooting errors! She also got a second place in the mass start.

After a short break, Miriam won her second World Cup race in the Oberhof sprint. She also helped the German relay team get third place. A week later, she won another sprint race in Ruhpolding. She continued to have strong performances, including another relay win before the 2013 Biathlon World Championships. At the World Championships, she didn't win a medal, but she finished sixth in both the sprint and mass start. She also just missed a medal at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2013 in cross-country, finishing fourth by a tiny margin.

Injury and Focus on Cross-Country

After her successful 2012–13 season, Miriam had a back injury from a cycling accident. This injury meant she couldn't compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The injury also made it harder for her to perform well in biathlon in the following seasons.

After taking time off to have her daughter, Miriam decided to focus on cross-country skiing again. She felt she could no longer shoot perfectly in biathlon. In May 2018, the German Ski Association named her a member of their cross-country ski team.

Biathlon Statistics

Skiing Performance

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

Miriam Gössner is known for being one of the fastest cross-country skiers in biathlon. In many of her World Cup races, she had the fastest skiing time. This means she was very quick on the skis, even without counting the time spent shooting. She was often among the top three fastest skiers in her races.

When she was a junior, Miriam's fast skiing helped her make up for shooting errors. In her first two World Cup races, she had very fast skiing times. During the 2010–11 season, she was the fastest skier in 8 out of 25 races. Her skiing speed dropped a bit in the 2011–12 season. But in the 2012–13 season, she was back to her top speed. She set a new record by having the best course time in nine races in a row!

Course times 2009–10
season
2010–11
season
2011–12
season
2012–13
season
2013–14
season
2014–15
season
2015–16
season
Career
Fastest 0 / 2 0% 8 / 25 32% 0 / 24 0% 9 / 24 38% 0 / 4 0% 0 / 13 0% 3 / 21 14% 20 / 113 18%
2nd fastest 0 / 2 0% 6 / 25 24% 1 / 24 4% 6 / 24 25% 0 / 4 0% 0 / 13 0% 2 / 21 10% 15 / 113 13%
3rd fastest 0 / 2 0% 5 / 25 20% 0 / 24 0% 4 / 24 17% 0 / 4 0% 0 / 13 0% 1 / 21 5% 10 / 113 9%
4th-10th fastest 1 / 2 50% 5 / 25 20% 10 / 24 42% 2 / 24 8% 1 / 4 25% 3 / 13 23% 13 / 21 62% 35 / 113 31%
Other 1 / 2 50% 1 / 25 24% 13 / 24 54% 3 / 24 13% 3 / 4 75% 10 / 13 77% 2 / 21 10% 33 / 113 29%
Key: Number of respective times achieved / number of all races entered, percentage.
* Results in IBU World Cup races, no relay events. Statistics as of 17 March 2013, the end of the 2012–13 season.

Shooting Accuracy

Miriam's overall shooting accuracy is about 70%. She is better at shooting when lying down (prone position) than when standing up (standing position). Her standing shooting percentage is lower compared to other top biathletes.

Her shooting results have varied a lot. She has shot perfectly (hitting all targets) in two races. But she has also had races where she missed many targets. For example, in one race, she missed 10 targets but still finished 10th because she skied so fast! In her first World Cup victory, she had five penalty loops (meaning she missed five targets).

Shooting 2009–10
season
2010–11
season
2011–12
season
2012–13
season
2013–14
season
2014–15
season
2015–16
season
2016–17
season
Career
Prone position 11 / 15 73.3% 177 / 220 80.5% 161 / 215 74.9% 173 / 233 74.2% 14 / 25 56.0% 70 / 100 70.0% 143 / 189 75.7% 69 / 85 81.2% 818 / 1082 75.6%
Standing position 7 / 15 46.7% 123 / 224 54.9% 147 / 217 67.7% 167 / 241 69.3% 13 / 25 52.0% 62 / 102 60.8% 124 / 193 64.2% 44 / 85 51.8% 687 / 1102 62.3%
Total 18 / 30 60.0% 300 / 444 67.6% 308 / 432 71.3% 340 / 474 71.7% 27 / 50 54.0% 132 / 202 65.3% 267 / 382 69.9% 113 / 170 66.5% 1505 / 2184 68.9%
* Results in all IBU World Cup races, Olympics and World Championships including relay events and disqualified races. Statistics as of 15 January 2017.''

Biathlon Achievements

World Championships Medals

Miriam first competed at the Biathlon World Championships in 2011 in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. She won her first world title there in the women's relay, earning a gold medal with her teammates. A year later, she and the same German team won the women's relay gold medal again!

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

Biathlon World Cup Performance

Miriam started competing in the Biathlon World Cup in the 2009–10 season. After a slow start, she joined the German cross-country team. The next winter, she returned to biathlon. She finished her first full World Cup season in 14th place overall.

Season Overall Sprint Pursuit Individual Mass Start
Races Points Position Races Points Position Races Points Position Races Points Position Races Points Position
2009–10 2/25 0 N/A 1/10 0 N/A 0/6 0 N/A 1/4 0 N/A 0/5 0 N/A
2010–11 25/26 593 14th 10/10 266 9th 7/7 206 9th 3/4 4 66th 5/5 117 16th
2011–12 24/26 322 27th 10/10 146 20th 8/8 127 20th 3/3 5 61st 3/5 44 32nd
2012–13 24/26 746 9th 10/10 337 3rd 6/8 207 13th 3/3 42 24th 5/5 160 8th
2013–14 4/22 0 N/A 3/9 0 N/A 1/8 0 N/A 0/2 0 N/A 0/3 0 N/A
2014–15 13/25 30 71st 7/10 20 64th 4/7 10 71st 2/3 0 N/A 0/5 0 N/A
2015–16 21/25 350 23rd 8/9 187 12th 7/8 80 33rd 2/3 8 57th 4/5 75 23rd
a. Until the 2009–10 season, the IBU (International Biathlon Union) did not count an athlete's three worst races in overall World Cup scores. In the 2010–11 season, all races were included. Starting from the 2011–12 season, the two worst results were removed again. So, the points in the "Points" column are shown after these deductions, except for the 2010–11 season.

World Cup Podiums

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

Miriam won her first individual World Cup race in her fourth season. She has won three individual World Cup races in total. She has also won four relay races as part of the German team. Her first two victories were at World Championship events.

Individual Podiums

  • 3 victories – (2 Sprint, 1 Pursuit)
  • 10 podiums – (7 Sprint, 2 Pursuit, 1 Mass Start)
No. Season Date Location Discipline Level Place
1 2010/11 3 December 2010 Sweden Östersund, Sweden 7.5 km Sprint  World Cup  2nd
2 4 December 2010 Sweden Östersund, Sweden 10 km Pursuit World Cup 2nd
3 11 February 2011 United States Fort Kent, USA 7.5 km Sprint World Cup 2nd
4 2012/13 14 December 2012 Slovenia Pokljuka, Slovenia 7.5 km Sprint World Cup 2nd
5 15 December 2012 Slovenia Pokljuka, Slovenia 10 km Pursuit World Cup 1st
6 16 December 2012 Slovenia Pokljuka, Slovenia 12.5 km Mass Start World Cup 2nd
7 5 January 2013 Germany Oberhof, Germany 7.5 km Sprint World Cup 1st
8 11 January 2013 Germany Ruhpolding, Germany 7.5 km Sprint World Cup 1st
9 14 March 2013 Russia Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia 7.5 km Sprint World Cup 3rd
10 2015/16 11 December 2015 Austria Hochfilzen, Austria 7.5 km Sprint World Cup 3rd
* Results are from UIPMB and IBU races which include the Biathlon World Cup, Biathlon World Championships and the Winter Olympic Games.

Team Podiums

  • 4 victories – (4 Relay)
  • 8 podiums – (8 Relay)
No. Season Date Location Discipline Level Place Partners
1 2010/11 22 January 2011 Italy Antholz-Anterselva, Italy 4x6 km Relay World Cup 3rd (with Buchholz / Lang / Henkel)
2 13 March 2011 Russia Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia 4x6 km Relay World Championships 1st (with Henkel / Bachmann / Neuner)
3 2011/12 10 March 2012 Germany Ruhpolding, Germany 4x6 km Relay World Championships 1st (with Bachmann / Neuner / Henkel)
4 2012/13 5 January 2013 Germany Oberhof, Germany 4x6 km Relay World Cup 3rd (with Buchholz / Hildebrand / N. Horchler)
5 20 January 2013 Italy Antholz-Anterselva, Italy 4x6 km Relay World Cup 1st (with Hildebrand / N. Horchler / Henkel)
6 10 March 2013 Russia Sochi, Russia 4x6 km Relay World Cup 1st (with Henkel / Sachenbacher-Stehle / Dahlmeier)
7 2015/16 17 January 2016 Germany Ruhpolding, Germany 4x6 km Relay World Cup 2nd (with K. Horchler / Hammerschmidt / Dahlmeier)
8 13 February 2016 United States Presque Isle, USA 4x6 km Relay World Cup 3rd (with Preuß / Kummer / K. Horchler)
* Results are from UIPMB and IBU races which include the Biathlon World Cup, Biathlon World Championships and the Winter Olympic Games.

Overall Biathlon Record

By the end of the 2012–13 season, Miriam had competed in 89 Biathlon World Cup events. She won three individual races: one pursuit and two sprint races. In team events, she won her first World Cup in the 2011 World Championships relay with Germany. Miriam has achieved 34 top ten finishes, which is about 38% of all the races she entered.

Result Individual Sprint Pursuit Mass Start Relay Mixed
Relay
Total
Individual Events Team Events  All Events 
1st Place 2 1 4 3 4 7
2nd Place 3 1 1 1 5 1 6
3rd Place 2 3 2 3 5
Podiums 7 2 1 8 10 8 18
Top 10 13 8 4 14 3 25 17 42
Points 7 37 29 17 14 4 91 18 109
Others 8 17 9 33 33
Starts 15 54 38 17 14 4 124 18 142
* Results in all UIPMB and IBU World Cup races, Olympics and World Championships. Statistics as of 15 January 2017.

Junior World Championships

Miriam won two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze medal at the Biathlon Junior/Youth World Championships. In 2008, she won gold with the German relay team. In 2009, she won the pursuit title, silver in the sprint, and bronze in the relay.

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

Cross-Country Skiing Achievements

All results are from the International Ski Federation (FIS).

Olympic Games Medals

  • 1 medal – (1 silver)
 Year   Age   10 km 
 individual 
 15 km 
 skiathlon 
 30 km 
 mass start 
 Sprint   4 × 5 km 
 relay 
 Team 
 sprint 
2010 20 21 Silver

World Championships Medals

  • 1 medal – (1 silver)
 Year   Age   10 km 
 individual 
 15 km 
 skiathlon 
 30 km 
 mass start 
 Sprint   4 × 5 km 
 relay 
 Team 
 sprint 
2009 19 19 Silver
2013 23 4 7

World Cup Performance

Discipline Standings

 Season   Age  Season standings Ski Tour standings
Overall Distance Sprint Tour de
Ski
World Cup
Final
2009 19 77 86 58
2010 20 59 32 37 DNF

Team Podiums

  • 1 podium – (1 Relay)
No. Season Date Location Race Level Place Teammates
1  2009–10  7 March 2010 Finland Lahti, Finland 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 2nd Fessel / Zeller / Sachenbacher-Stehle

See also

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