Raphael Poiree
Birth date 9 August 1974
Birth place France
World Cup Medals BMW IBU World Cup Wins (44)
Olympic medals Olympic Winter Games Medals (3)
First biathlon year 1994/1995
" You aren't a champion - you become one." Raphael Poiree's teammates recall that he took training very seriously already in his tender biathlon years. "Up to the very last metre of his career ending in Oslo on 11 March 2007, Raphael Poiree fought until the end without ever hanging his head. In an incredible Sprint competition, he lost by one cen-timetre that day - as shown by the photo finish - to Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, his eternal rival from Norway; the duels between the two of them were the incarnation of biathlon grandeur for almost ten years. For the 23rd and final time, Poiree and Bjoerndalen shared the first two steps on the podium. Their final battle beneath the grey Norwegian skies symbolised the end of an era," beautifully wrote French Journalist in his portrait of Raphael Poiree in the book 50 'Years of Biathlon'. Like the rest of his colleagues in the French biathlon and cross-country skiing teamRaphael Poiree was a sport soldier.Born in Rives, Isère in France he, of course, is a predecessor of great compatriot Martin Fourcade. Poirée has four IBU World Cup titles (1999−00, 2000−01, 2001−02 and 2003−04). He has had 103 World Cup podium finishes, 44 in first place, 39 in second, and has come third 20 times. In the Winter Olympics, Poiree has one silver and two bronze medals. At the World Championships how-ever, he has seven gold medals, three silver and seven bronze. Raphaël Poirée was one of the best mass start biathletes of his time, with 9 1st places, 4 2nd places, and 3 3rd places in his World Cup career, second only to Ole Einar Bjørndalen who got 10 1st plac-es, 5 2nd places and 4 3rd places in the same time frame. Poirée also won 4 out of the 7 World Championship mass start races he took part in. Poirée also had five victories at the Holmenkollen ski festival biathlon competition with three mass starts (2000, 2002, and 2004), one pursuit (2004) and one individual (2007). Poiree was famous for his rapid firing technique that gave him an advantage on the competition, at times even over the great Bjoerndalen. Like Bjoerndalen, he perpetually tried to develop, always looking for new ways to improve, no matter how incremental such improvement might be.
Participated in
Select Project
OWG
WC wins individual race
WC wins relays
Olympic Winter Games Medals (3)
Silver (1): Pursuit Salt Lake City 2002.
Bronze (2): Relay Salt Lake City 2002; Relay Torino 2002.
IBU World Championships Medals (18)
Gold Medals (8): Mass Start Oslo-Holmenkollen 2000; Mass Start Pokljuka 2001, Relay Pokljuka 2001; Mass Start Oslo-Holmenkollen 2002; Individual Oberhof 2004, Sprint Oberhof 2004, Mass Start Oberhof 2004; Individual Antholz-Anterselva 2007.
Silver Medals (3): Pursuit Pokljuka 2001; Pursuit Oberhof 2004; Mixed Relay Antholz-Anterselva 2007.
Bronze Medals (7): Pursuit Pokljuka 1998; Pursuit Oslo-Holmenkollen 2000; Mass Start Khanty-Mansiysk 2003; Relay Oberhof 2004; Mass Start Hochfilzen 2005; Mixed Relay Pokljuka 2006; Mass Start Antholz-Anterselva 2007.
BMW IBU World Cup Individual Titles (10)
Individual (2): 2003/2004; 2006/2007.
Sprint (1): 2003/2004.
Pursuit (4): 1998/1999; 2000/2001; 2001/2002; 2003/2004.
Mass Start (3): 1999/2000; 2003/2004; 2004/2005.
Sprint (13): Ruhpolding 1997/1998; Antholz-Anterselva 2000/2001, Antholz-Anterselva 2000/2001, Oberhof 2000/2001; Ruhpolding 2001/2002, Lahti 2001/2002; Brezno-Osrblie 2002/2003; Pokljuka 2003/2004, Oberhof 2003/2004, Fort Kent 2003/2004; Hochfilzen 2006/
Pursuit (15): Hochfilzen 1998/1999, Ruhpolding 1998/1999, Lake Placid 1998/1999; Antholz-Anterselva 2000/2001, Ruhpolding 2000/2001; Pokljuka 2001/2002, Antholz-Anterselva 2001/2002, Lahti 2001/2002; Brezno-Osrblie 2002/2003; Brezno-Osrblie 2003/2004, Lak
Mass Start (9): Ruhpolding 1998/1999; Oslo-Holmekollen 1999/2000; Pokljuka 2000/2001; Oberhof 2001/2002, Oslo-Holmekollen 2001/2002; Antholz-Anterselva 2003/2004, Oberhof 2003/2004; Ostersund 2004/2005, Khanty-Mansiysk 2004/2005.
Ole Einar Bjorndalen
Profile • 16 August 2018
Media • 16 August 2018
Kati Wilhelm
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