Martin Fourcade

Martin Fourcade ( born September 14, 1988 in Ceret ) is a French biathlete. The four- year younger brother of Simon Fourcade is one of the most successful biathletes of the present. Previously, he was twice Olympic champion, five times world champion and three times winner of the overall World Cup standings. In addition, seven more championship medals and two more Olympic medals.

• 2.1 Olympic Winter Games
• 2.2 World Championships
• 2.3 World Cup wins
• 2.4 Biathlon World Cup rankings

Career

Beginnings and first season in the World Cup

Martin Fourcade operates biathlon since 2002. The student from La Llagonne in the department of Pyrénées- Orientales starts for the club Ski Nordic Zone Villard de Lans and is trained by Stéphane Bouthiaux. Since 2002 he is a member of the French national team and, from 2006, he raced in international youth competitions. The first highlight was the participation in the Junior World Championships 2007 in Martell. Fourcade was fifth in the individual as well as ninth in the sprint and pursuit. Were crowned the good performances by winning the bronze medal at the side of Jean -Guillaume Beatrix and Yann Guigonnet in the relay. Other good results followed a year later in Ruhpolding. He was eighth in the singles, eleventh in the sprint, Tenth in the pursuit and fifth in the French junior season. In the Junior European Cup Fourcade reached until 2008, four podium finishes, winning a sprint race in Cesana San Sicario. In the Summer Biathlon World Championships 2008 he won in Haute Maurienne in the competitions of juniors with the roller skis gold in singles, was fourth in the pursuit and together with Beatrix, Anaïs Bescond and Marine Bolliet with the mixed relay silver.

Quite successfully Fourcade first competition in the adult area. In the Biathlon 2008 European Championships in Nove Mesto na Moravě he was 23 in singles, 18 in the sprint, pursuit and eighth in the ninth season of competition. His debut in the Biathlon World Cup was Fourcade at the final 2007/08 season at Holmenkollen in Oslo. He was 61st in the sprint and missed a first-time participation in the persecution only one place. After he was in Obertilliach finished second in the individual at the Biathlon European Cup in the following season, Fourcade again got a chance to prove in until then only moderately started the season French World Cup team. He took advantage of this and won 37th in the individual Hochfilzen first World Cup points. In the following sprint race he came in eleventh. In Oberhof followed at the beginning of the year 2009, the first use in the French World Cup season, in which he finished fourth.

Season 2009/10 - First World Cup victories and a silver medal at the Olympic Games

In the 2009/2010 season Fourcade made ​​a breakthrough in the world's best. It was used throughout the World Cup and was one of the runners root of the French squadron. Already at the beginning in Östersund, he stood as the final runners with his squadron colleagues Vincent Jay, Vincent DeFrasne and his brother Simon as the winner at the top of the podium. At the stations five and six of the World Cup in Ruhpolding and Antholz he ran constantly in the top ten, with a fourth place in the runner-up in South Tyrol as the best result. His largest ever sporting success celebrated Martin Fourcade at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The mass start over 15 kilometers, it won the silver medal. With the French squadron in the same cast as the victory for World Cup opener, he finished sixth. No. 14 in singles, 34th in the pursuit and 35th in the sprint were his further results at Whistler Olympic Park. His good form he confirmed when he won his first World Cup race at the first World Cup after the Olympics. Even while sprinting in Kontiolahti he became the third in the jump on the podium, it was his first podium finish in a single race. He won the subsequent pursuit competition after only one penalty in the first prone stage. In the previous World Cup stage at Oslo Holmenkollen was laid after and won both the sprint and in the pursuit. Having won the steeplechase he pushed in the discipline standings of the World Cup pursuit of the erstwhile leader Simon Eder, who einkam 28th place, even from the first place and secured the small crystal with only one point ahead of the Austrians. In the overall World Cup, he reached with his three wins this season and a total of five podiums 719 points and thus 5th in the final bill.

Season 2010/11 - World Championship title

In the season 2010/2011 Martin Fourcade took another step forward. Start of the season in Ostersund, the Frenchman was able to enter two third places in individual and Sprint. Up to the World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk followed seven more podium finishes, including his first two victories in the mass start. At the World Championships Fourcade became one of the defining athletes and could win a total of three medals. A silver medal in the sprint and a third place in the mixed relay were doing crowned by the first gold medal of his career in pursuit. At the end of the season he could reach another podium finish at the World Cup Final in Oslo, increasing its yield of podium finishes this season on 12 Behind Tarjei Bø and Emil Hegle Svendsen handed this with 990 points for third place in the World Cup in his second full season.

Season 2011/12 - success in the World Cup and three gold medals

His best season so far experienced Martin Fourcade 2011/2012. Right at the start of the season in Ostersund, he secured two wins in three races and thus also took the yellow leader's jersey in the World Cup. In the course of the season, Fourcade delivered a duel with the Norway's Emil Hegle Svendsen for the lead in the overall standings. In the new year Fourcade had to miss a race in Oberhof and thus also lost the lead to Svendsen. With good results in the next World Cup race, he was able to reclaim the yellow jersey and launched as one of the co-favorites at the World Championships 2012 in Ruhpolding, where he won at the start as the final runner in the mixed relay but no medal. At the beginning of the single race him the victory in the Sprint succeeded before his eternal rival Svendsen. Thus, he went first to the subsequent pursuit race and won there as well, this time ahead of Sweden's Carl Johan Bergman, the gold medal after him on the final lap had to depend. The single game Fourcade finished only 25th place. In the following season Fourcade was in the lead as the final runners at the start. It came again to direct duel with Emil Hegle Svendsen. In the last shooting he had to reload three times while Svendsen remained without a miss, took the lead for the Norwegian season and these defended to the end before Fourcade. At the concluding mass start race Martin Fourcade was successful for the third time at the championships in spite of two shooting errors, after he had prevailed on the final round against the remaining error-free Sweden Björn Ferry. With three gold and one silver medal, he was the most successful athlete of the championships. In addition, he was able to increase the overall lead as the world championships mitzählten for the World Cup standings. At the season finale in Russia's Khanty-Mansiysk is Fourcade secured with two wins already early victory in the overall standings, and decided at the same time Sprint and Pursuit World Cup itself. After Patrice Bailly -Salins and the four -time winner Raphael Poirée Fourcade, making it the third Frenchman, who won the overall World Cup for themselves.

Season 2012 /13 - record season and second win the overall World Cup

The 2012/2013 season began for Fourcade with two wins ( in the individual and in the pursuit ) at the World Cup opener in Östersund. By the end he took four other podium finishes in five competitions at the World Cup in Hochfilzen and Pokljuka and walked away with the lead in the overall World Cup in 2013. This began Fourcade with a shoulder injury that he had suffered at the World Team Challenge. Due to this injury he could only partially take part in the race in Oberhof and did not reach the top 10 places. Back on the winning track was Fourcade a week later at the World Cup in Ruhpolding, where he was successful in both the sprint and mass start and with the team in the season. The World Cup in Nove Mesto na Moravě launched for Fourcade a silver medal in the mixed relay. Two days later he was pleased again with a silver medal, which he won in the sprint. In the subsequent persecution, he again reached the second place, where he Emil Hegle Svendsen had to admit defeat to the narrowest of margins, as in the sprint to the Norwegians. A few days later Fourcade won his first title in the world championships with a victory in singles, which he was able to win at least one World Championship gold medal in all four individual events in his career. In the men's relay Fourcade won again a silver medal with his teammates. In the mass start, as the last event of the World Cup, Fourcade was the first to win any medal. Overall, Fourcade 's fifth most successful biathlete in the World Cup and the most successful non- Norwegians.

A week after the World Cup was followed by the World Cup at Holmenkollen in Oslo. In the sprint Fourcade had to admit the Norwegians Tarjei Bø narrowly defeated in the ensuing pursuit, he secured his 20th World Cup victory and advance the small ball of persecution World Cup. At the concluding mass start, he reached the second place and extended his lead in the overall World Cup continues. At the Olympic rehearsal in Sochi Fourcade won the individual race and secured, four races left in the season, the overall World Cup rankings and also for the first time in his career, the discipline in individual vote. At the World Cup finals in Khanty Mansiysk, he won the sprint and reached the following pursuit competition in third place behind the Austrian Christoph Sumann and his brother Simon. In the final competition of the season, the mass start, is Fourcade secured the total tenth win of the season. With this success, he also won the Crystal Globe in the mass start World Cup, making it next to his compatriot Raphael Poirée ( to have managed this in the season 2003/ 04) the only athlete in a season all small crystal for the four discipline ratings, as well as the large could gain crystal ball for the World Cup. In addition, the Frenchman set with a total of 1,248 points to a new high score in the World Cup and thus improved the mark of 1,110 points by the Norwegian Tarjei Bø from the season 2010/11. Also, a new record, the 19 podiums, the Fourcade could enter a total of 26 competitions.

Season 2013 /14 - Two-time Olympic victory and third win the overall World Cup

At the beginning of the 2013/2014 season Fourcade was able to retake the overall lead in the World Cup with victories in singles and persecution in Östersund. Also during the subsequent event in Hochfilzen Fourcade won a race. His series of 13 podiums in a row ended at the third World Cup event in Annecy -Le Grand Bornand, where he finished only 17th place in the pursuit. In Oberhof he won the mass start his fourth World Cup race of the season after two third places behind Svendsen and Björndalen. In favor of the Olympic preparation renounced Fourcade on the race in Ruhpolding, making it without a fight, had to give to the Norwegian Svendsen also the discipline in individual vote, the decision was made this season in only two races. After the break, he returned back to the World Cup in Antholz. There was enough in the sprint and pursuit but only for places 5 and 9 at the Olympic Games in Sochi Fourcade scored in the first competition, the Sprint, only the sixth. In the subsequent pursuit race but he could catch up this gap and win his first Olympic gold medal. Three days after this success Fourcade won the gold medal in the individual competition. In mass start Fourcade had to surrender the Norwegian Svendsen in the final sprint, but won his third medal in Sochi. Together with Ole Einar Bjørndalen Fourcade is thus the only biathlete who won at the same Olympic Games three medals in individual disciplines. Bjørndalen this was previously succeeded in 2002 in Salt Lake City and Torino 2006.

In the first World Cup after the Olympics Fourcade reached in Pokljuka each seventh place in the sprint and pursuit. He cemented his lead in the overall World Cup and was also able to take the lead in the pursuit of the World Cup. In the concluding mass start, he managed the first time in six World Cup races back of the front runners and was behind the Swede Bjorn Ferry second. A week later, at the penultimate World Cup event in Kontiolahti, Fourcade reached two more second places in the sprint and pursuit. Thus he not only won once again the sprint standings, but also for the third consecutive overall World Cup. Previously this was only Frank Ullrich (1980-1982) and Fourcade compatriot Raphael Poirée (2000-2002) succeeded. At the World Cup finals in Oslo Fourcade is secured by a fifth in the pursuit for the fourth time in his career the small crystal globe for the World Cup pursuit. In the concluding mass start, he celebrated his fifth win of the season in the World Cup and also won the overall title in this discipline. By winning his tenth overall small crystal globe for a discipline World Cup Fourcade drew equal with his fellow countryman Poirée. Only Ole Einar Bjørndalen was more successful with a total of 19 small crystal.

Statistics

Olympic Winter Games

• Vancouver 2010: 2 mass start, Season 6, 14 single, 34 pursuit, 35 Sprint
• Sochi 2014: first prosecution, 1 single, 2 mass start, sprint 6, 6 mixed relay, Season 8

World Championships

• Khanty-Mansiysk 2011: first prosecution, second Sprint, 3rd Mixed Relay, 10 single, 10 mass start, 12th Season
• Ruhpolding 2012: 1st Sprint, 1st Pursuit, Mass Start 1, Season 2, 11th Mixed Relay, 25th individual
• Nove Mesto 2013: 1st Single, 2nd Sprint, Pursuit 2, Season 2, second mixed relay, 10 mass start

World Cup wins

Biathlon World Cup rankings

The table shows all placements (depending on the year, including hosting the Olympic Games and World Championships ).