Axel Teichmann
Axel Teichmann (born 14 July 1979, Ebersdorf, Gera district ) is a former German cross-country skier and sports soldier of the Bundeswehr. The overall winner of the cross-country skiing World Cup and two-time world champion, he is the most successful German cross-country skier of all time.
- 2.1 World Cup victories in individual
- 2.2 World Cup victories in team
Career
The beginnings
Growing up in the Thuringian Slate Mountains came Teichmann how many children and young people of this region at an early stage with the Nordic skiing in touch. After he had visited in Lobenstein school, he moved in 1993 to the Sports School in Oberhof, where he initially also operated ski jumping and Nordic combined next to the cross-country skiing. After graduation, he took off in 1998 with a score of 1.2, Teichmann joined as a sports soldier in the Bundeswehr ( sports promotion group Oberhof ) and performs the service grade to Master Sergeant.
First international assignments
After several national titles at youth and junior championships, Teichmann also attended his first international use, the Junior World Championships in 1997 in Canmore, about 10 km classic finishing sixth and ninth place 30 km free style stir. In the 1997/98 season, he reached the second place in the overall ranking of the Continental Cup for Juniors, but could not confirm the good results of the previous year at the Junior World Championships in Switzerland Pontresina, finishing 10-kilometer freestyle the 10th Place and about 30 km classic the 16th Place. With the German season he was sixth. His first start at senior level had Teichmann at the Continental Cup in Brusson in December 1998, where he demonstrated his great potential with first place on 15 km classic and two square 10-kilometer freestyle. Consequently, he was nominated for his first appearance in the Cross Country World Cup. When Sprint World Cup in Garmisch -Partenkirchen, he qualified for the finals promptly and collected as 25 his first World Cup points. So it came as no surprise that Teichmann won at the Junior World Championships in 1999 in the Austria Saalfelden the gold medal in the 10 km Classic ahead of Sweden's Mathias Algren and Jens Filbrich. With the German team, he was able to repeat this success in the relay competition. After these successes Teichmann was used again in the World Cup and did as 17 10-kilometer freestyle in Seefeld repeatedly to convince. Since the German cross-country skiing was in the late 1990s rather in a crisis, the successful Junior Teichmann for the Senior World Championship 1999 in Ramsau am Dachstein was nominated. About 10 km classic, he finished in 35th place as the best German cross-country skiers. With the German team, he scraped just past its first medal in fourth.
In the season 1999/ 00 then Teichmann became a permanent member of the German World Cup team. Here he succeeded in his first year notable successes as the eighth place in the sprint competition in Stockholm. The connection to the Weltcspitze managed Teichmann then in the subsequent World Cup season when he was in Brusson fifth in the 20 -kilometer pursuit competition and could ersprinten sixth place in the sprint in Engelberg. In the Nordic World Ski Championships 2001 in Lahti, Finland, he finished the 15-kilometer classic both on and in the pursuit competition on the 14th Place. During training, he came during the World Cup together with a supervisor and injured his arm so that he could not be nominated for the season, which later won silver. At the end of the season he placed himself with space 24 for the first time in the top 30 athletes in the overall World Cup. The Olympia 2001/02 season was like a roller coaster for Teichmann. Good results as the fifth and sixth place on 15 km classic and freestyle in Davos and Brusson followed places far outside the World Cup points as the 50th place about 30 km classic in Val di Fiemme. So were the results he achieved at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, mediocre. He finished the 30 km free style ( mass start ) the 19th place, about 15 km classic on the 14th Place and in the pursuit competition the 38th. At the sprint competition, he was unable to attend due to illness. After national coach Jochen Behle had not nominated him for the relay competition, Teichmann thought it shortly to end his athletic career and devote himself intensively studying.
International success from 2002
The fact that the decision against the study was the right, showed up in the 2002/03 season. Teichmann, who now intensively focused on his sport, succeeded at the beginning of the World Cup season about 15 km classic in Kuusamo with third place for the first time the leap onto the podium. Less than a month later, in the pursuit competition in Ramsau am Dachstein his first World Cup victory. This was the first World Cup victory of a German for 13 years. Also in Kawgolowo he boarded as third 10-kilometer freestyle the podium. So Teichmann went as one of the favorites for the distances of the classical technique of Nordic World Ski Championships 2003 in Val di Fiemme. In his favorite discipline Teichmann scored a success which was a German cross-country skiers last succeeded in 1974. 29 years after Gerhard Grimmer Teichmann won the world title before Jaak Mae and Frode Estil. Also in the pursuit competition, he came up with the leading group to the finish, but had to settle after a fall on the last climb in the final sprint with fifth place. In relay competition, he won the silver medal together with Jens Filbrich, Andreas Schlütter, René Sommerfeldt. Cage rotor Teichmann had just beaten the multiple Olympic and world champion Thomas Alsgaard from Norway in the final sprint. His best season he finished fourth in the World Cup. Also in the 2003/04 season with mixed Teichmann in the world rankings. He won his second World Cup victory in the pursuit competition in Kuusamo and two other podium finishes in Beitostølen and Ramsau. With the German national team, he won further three relay events in the World Cup. In the overall World Cup, with the René Sommerfeldt won a German cross-country skiers for the first time, he took fifth place again ranked among the top ten of the best cross-country skier of the entire winter.
The season 2004/ 05 should be the most successful World Cup season the upper Hofer. Right at the beginning of winter, he won classic in Gällivare and Kuusamo each over a distance of 15 kilometers. In addition there were a further five top- ten finishes, so he traveled all as World Cup leader and top favorite for the Nordic World Ski Championships 2005 in Oberstdorf home. However, shortly before the World Cup, he contracted a severe cold, so he could not deny the first competitions in full possession of his powers. Only shortly before the race he decided to participate at the 15 kilometer freestyle competition, he finished as the defending champion with seventh place. In pursuit competition he had to leave early to tear already in the classical technique and ended the competition in 30th place was only in Season Competition took Teichmann back to his form. As a finisher, who was sent by Tobias Angerer with a gap of about one and a half minutes on the leading Norwegian to fourth position on the track, he was by far the fastest time of all runners on his lap and was able for the German team in the sprint against Russia even pre-run to the silver medal. That he had found back again to its strength, Teichmann was then a day later also in the team sprint, in which he also could ersprinten the silver medal behind Norway together with Jens Filbrich. The common cold, the Teichmann had incurred before the World Cup, forcing him even then to a further break from competition, so he missed seven World Cups and his lead in the overall standings was always lower. However, at the last race in Falun, he took up again and secured seventh place in the Pursuit competition sovereign victory in the World Cup ahead of France's Vincent Vittoz.
Reboot and End of career
The 2005/06 season began - as the last season left off - with a disease Teichmanns so that he could not participate in Dusseldorf at the World Cup kick-off. A second place behind Tobias Angerer in the pursuit competition in the Canadian Vernon followed, however, placements for second place and 30 more heats and events due to health problems. Shortly before the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin showed Teichmann 13th place over 15 km classic in Davos again ascending form. But shortly before the Olympic competitions he was hit by health problems. Due to an acute inflammation of the hair root at the left thigh, which escalated into an abscess and caused at Teichmann fever and chills, he had to undergo surgery and could not participate in any of the competitions. After the successful operation Teichmann traveled to Turin to support his teammates off the track technically and morally. Even after the end of the season ripped Teichmann's bad luck continued as, in June 2006, he moved in a soccer match a multiple ligament tear and a tear of the ankle joint capsule, and could thus initially only train with a special wheelchair. Despite the serious injury in the summer, he started with three podium finishes in the 2006/07 season and was one of the favorites of the inaugural Tour de Ski. When his teammate Tobias Angerer, who also counted as World Cup overall champion last season the favorites, crashed on the second stage in Oberstdorf, located Teichmann fell back and led Angerer back to the top zoom .. While Angerer could triumph at the end of the tour, had Teichmann a disease-related setback cope and entered the third stage is no longer on the basis of a new flu infection. At the World Cup in Otepaeae he answered with a win over 15 km classic back impressively. In his first race at the Nordic World Ski Championships 2007 in Sapporo, he missed the team sprint together with Tobias Angerer in fourth place just a medal. A day later, however, the duo can celebrate a double victory in the pursuit competition. Teichmann enjoyed most of the reserves and defeated Angerer in the sprint; he was the first German cross country skier who won two world titles. The competition about 15 km freestyle was marked by heavy snowfall, which affected mainly the group of the best runners. Angerer finished in third place as the best runners in the rear starter group. Teichmann, who actually crossed the finish line in fifth place, was granted by the subsequent disqualification of the Austrian Johannes Eder for a confirmed by the CAS 2008 lifetime doping ban, fourth place. Even in the final relay competition was only the fourth place for the German squadron. Even during the season Teichmann frequently complained of back pain and was examine in more detail after the World Cup. Here, a moderate herniated diagnosed so that it underwent before the end of the season of an operation.
At the beginning of the 2007/ 08 had to cancel due to a cold Teichmann the World Cup opener in Dusseldorf. But already in the second World Cup stop in Beitostølen he showed that he had overcome the herniated disc and triumphed over 15 km freestyle in front of Lukas Bauer. In Davos, he celebrated over 15 km classic his second win of the season, so he started second in the overall World Cup standings behind farmer in his second Tour de Ski. In the prologue, he succeeded with second place still to be his favorite role. But in the subsequent pursuit competition, he dropped back to 32. On the fourth stage he could indeed work your back to tenth place, but crashed during the race and injured his thumb. Handicapped by the injury he support in the rest of the tour René Sommerfeldt and occupied himself at the end of the 13th Place. Also the rest of the season was rather disappointing for Teichmann. To inaugural World Cup final he could not compete due to renewed health problems and ended the season prematurely. The 2008/09 season also began rather mixed with places far outside the top ten. At the World Cup in Davos, but he could fight classic second behind Johan Olsson about his favorite distance of 15 kilometers. And to kick off the Tour de Ski 2008/2009, he won the prologue in his home town of Oberhof with an impressive performance well ahead of Dario Cologna. In the subsequent pursuit competition he knew to convince with second place. After two more victories on the fourth stage over 15 km classic and the sixth stage over 20 km classic ( mass start ), he was second behind the leading Swiss Dario Cologna on the last leg. However, not succeeded Cologna to compromise. Instead, he lost in a sprint against the Norwegian Petter Northug his second place and finished the tour in third place. In the Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec Axel Teichmann won together with Tobias Angerer the silver medal in the team sprint behind the team and Ola Vigen Johan Kjølstad Hattestad from Norway. Together with Tobias Angerer, Franz Göring and Jens Filbrich he won silver in the 4 × 10 - km race, narrowly beaten in the final sprint of Petter Northug.
The duel Axel Teichmann against Petter Northug was continued at the Olympic Games 2010 in Vancouver. In the team sprint Teichmann went with Tim Tscharnke at the start. Before the last change of the Tim Tscharnke could clearly settle and handed by a margin of 2.6 seconds Teichmann. Northug, however, managed to harness its strength sprint again and Teichmann catch up just before the finish and overtake. But Teichmann could barely stand up to the Russians Alexei Petukhov and secure the silver medal for the German team. In the traditional 50 -kilometer race in the classical technique Teichmann showed an extraordinary performance. He succeeded to break away on the last climb of the top group. However, Northug was again able to reduce the gap in the downhill and won as a few days earlier in the team sprint duel down the stretch against Teichmann. Axel Teichmann has Gert -Dietmar Klause the first German cross-country skiers at all, who could win on the 50 kilometers an Olympic medal. At the beginning of the 2009/10 season Teichmann was able to record only moderate results. But in the Tour de Ski 2009/2010, he convinced the season opener with two third places. However, on the last leg he fell from third to seventh overall. He finished the season 37th in the overall World Cup. To kick off the 2010/11 season convinced Teichmann fifth 10-kilometer classic in Kuusamo. At temperatures up to minus 22 degrees, however, he complained after the race about lung problems and said the other starts in Kuusamo, but retreated to a cold that forced him to a longer break from competition. At the 2011 World Championships in Oslo, he won the bronze medal with the German relay.
In the following years Teichmann could rarely achieve top rankings. On December 30, 2011, he won the pursuit race in Oberhof in the Tour de Ski. In February 2013 he reached the team sprint in Sochi the third and the 15 -km freestyle race in Davos fourth place. At the World Championships 2013 in Val di Fiemme, he was ninth over 15 kilometers in the free technique. At the end of his career Teichmann took part in the Olympic Games in Sochi 2014. About 15 km classic style him once again succeeded with the eighth place finishing in the top ten.
Achievements
World Cup victories in individual
( DS ) = stage win during the course of the Tour de Ski. These achievements do not count as World Cup victories by an official way of counting. (WCE ) = stage win in the course of a World Cup stage race. These achievements do not count as World Cup victories by an official way of counting.
World Cup victories in team
1 with Jens Filbrich, René Sommerfeldt and Tobias Angerer 2 Andreas Schlütter, Jens Filbrich and Tobias Angerer 3 with Jens Filbrich 4 with Jens Filbrich, Franz Göring and Tobias Angerer
Awards
- Since April 2010, winner of the Silver Laurel leaf
- Winner of the Golden Ski cross country men in 2003 and 2005
- Thuringia's Sportsman of the Year 2007
- On 2 May 2003 Teichmann was appointed on the basis of his great sporting achievements as an honorary citizen of the city of Bad Lobenstein
Private
Teichmann lives with his girlfriend and the 2010 and 2012 children born in Bad Lobenstein.