Miriam Neureuther ( Gössner; born 21 June 1990) is a former German biathlete and cross-country skier. She has won an Olympic silver medal in cross-country skiing and two biathlon world championship titles, all in team events. Noted for her fast skiing performances, she won two junior world championship titles in biathlon in 2008 and 2009. Gössner was called up for the Nordic World Ski Championships 2009, where she was part of Germany's cross-country team claiming silver in the 4 × 5 kilometre relay.
At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Gössner won a silver medal in cross-country skiing in the 4 × 5 kilometre relay. She returned to biathlon for the 2010–11 season, achieving three podium finishes in her first complete winter on the Biathlon World Cup tour. At the Biathlon World Championships 2011, Gössner won the gold medal in the women's relay. The following year she defended the world championship title with the German team in the 2012 women's relay. Gössner claimed her first individual World Cup win in December 2012.
Personal life Miriam Gössner was born in the German alpine resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria. Her father is German and her mother Norwegian, born in Molde, Norway. Gössner grew up bilingually and is fluent in Norwegian.Haugli, Kurt. «Beste norske» gikk for Tyskland. Aftenposten.no. 3 December 2010. Accessed 4 December 2010. She originally hoped for a career in alpine skiing, but following an accident during slalom training, in which she lost several teeth and suffered a broken cheekbone, she instead started biathlon at the age of 14.Regelmann, Florian. "Ich habe keine Poster im Zimmer". Spox.com. 10 December 2009. Accessed 4 December 2010. Until 2011, she had been involved in a four-year relationship with German biathlete Simon Schempp.Felske, Thorsten. Im Frühling starb ihre Liebe. Bild.de. 3 November 2011. Accessed 5 February 2013. Since 2013 she has been in a relationship with German alpine skier Felix Neureuther: in October 2017 she gave birth to the couple's first child, a girl named Matilda. She married Felix Neureuther in December 2017.
In February 2014 Gössner posed nude for, and appeared on the cover of, the German edition of Playboy.
Career Early career After deciding to pursue a career in biathlon, Gössner joined the German Customs Administration in August 2006 to become a member in the government-supported Customs-Ski-Team (Zoll-Ski-Team). She officially holds the rank of Zollhauptwachtmeisterin (head customs officer),German Federal Ministry of Finance. Miriam Gössner . Zoll.de. Accessed 4 December 2010. although she is a full-time professional athlete with no customs obligations. For several years Gössner trained alongside retired Olympic champion Magdalena Neuner in Mittenwald, one of Germany's biathlon bases.Biathletin Miriam Gössner: Die Zier der Bescheidenheit. Merkur-online.de. 2 December 2008. Accessed 4 December 2010. Her local coach is Bernhard Kröll.Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Miriam Gössner auf Achterbahn der Gefühle. T-online.de. 7 January 2013. Accessed 6 February 2013.
Gössner qualified for the 2008 Biathlon Junior/Youth World Championships in Ruhpolding, Germany, where she won gold as part of the German relay team. One year later at the 2009 Biathlon Junior/Youth World Championships in Canmore, Alberta, Canada, Gössner won the pursuit title. She also won silver in the sprint, bronze in the relay, and came in fourth place in the individual. Early on, Gössner was noted for her fast skiing performances. She won the junior pursuit gold in spite of eight shooting errors and came in fourth in the individual with a total time penalty of six minutes.
Because of her fast skiing times, Germany's cross-country coach, Jochen Behle, called her up as a late replacement for the freestyle sprint at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec, Czech Republic. She came in 17th place during qualification, but did not advance beyond the quarter-final in the main competition, eventually finishing in 19th position. After Stefanie Böhler had to withdraw, Gössner was picked for the 4 × 5 kilometre relay. She set the fastest time of all racers on her lap and reduced Germany's gap to the lead by 55.1 seconds, playing an important part in Germany's silver medal win. Gössner could not compete in biathlon for the remainder of the season due to a thumb injury, therefore she debuted in the FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Lahti, Finland in March 2009, winning her first World Cup points with two top-30 finishes.
Olympic cross-country silver (2009–10 season) Gössner made her debut in the Biathlon World Cup in Östersund, Sweden, in December 2009, the first event of the 2009–10 season. She finished in 73rd place in the individual and 58th in the sprint race, with seven and five shooting errors respectively. She saw no chance to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics in biathlon and concentrated on cross-country skiing for the remaining season. Gössner competed at the 2009–10 Tour de Ski, finishing in 5th place in the prologue, which secured her the Olympic qualification in cross-country skiing. She continued with good results in the cross-country World Cup, coming in 5th in the sprint and 4th in the team sprint in Rybinsk, Russia.
The Winter Olympics in Vancouver started with a setback for Gössner. She was looking for a potential top ten finish in the 10 kilometre freestyle race, before crashing on the second loop. She injured her shoulder and lost time, eventually finishing in 21st place.German Federal Ministry of Finance. Miriam Gössner stürzt bei ihrem Olympiaauftakt. Zoll.de. Accessed 4 December 2010. On 25 February 2010, running the third leg alongside Katrin Zeller, Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle and Claudia Nystad for Germany, Gössner claimed the silver medal in the 4 × 5 kilometre relay. After the Olympics, she remained with the cross-country team through the end of the season. Her best World Cup result was a second place in Lahti, again coming in a women's relay event. Along with all Olympic medal winners, she received the Silberne Lorbeerblatt (Silver Laurel Leaf), the highest state decoration for athletes in Germany.Federal Ministry of the Interior. Auszeichnung mit dem Silbernen Lorbeerblatt. Bund.de. Accessed 6 February 2013.
Initial biathlon success (2010–11 season)
2010–11 World Cup season results No. World Cup location Individual Sprint Pursuit Mass Start Relay Mixed relay 1 Östersund, Sweden 39 2 2 – – – 2 Hochfilzen, Austria – 18 25 – DNS – 3 Pokljuka, Slovenia 53 12 – – – 8 4 Oberhof, Germany – 43 – 19 DNS – 5 Ruhpolding, Germany 39 17 22 – – 6 Antholz, Italy – 17 – 28 3 – 7 Presque Isle, United States – 21 29 – – DNS 8 Fort Kent, United States – 2 10 14 – – WCH Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia DNS 9 7 14 1 DNS 9 Oslo, Norway – 35 6 13 – – Key:"—" denotes discipline not held; DNS—Did not start; WCH—World Championships
Despite repeated attempts by head coach Jochen Behle to convince her to stay with the cross-country team, Gössner decided to return to biathlon for the 2010–11 season, even if she had to compete in second tier IBU Cup races initially.Hat diese Frau 'nen Schuss?. Bild.de. 6 November 2010. Accessed 4 December 2010. However, she was picked for the German team at the World Cup opening in Östersund. In the first race of the season, she finished in 39th place in the individual race, winning her first Biathlon World Cup points. Two days later, Gössner shot clean and came in second place in the sprint race. In the subsequent pursuit, she defended her second place. She set the fastest course time in both races and was beaten only by Finland's Kaisa Mäkäräinen.
Following her surprising podiums, Gössner continued the season with average results, earning World Cup points in 11 of her next 13 individual races. However, she failed to reach any more top ten positions because of poor shooting performances. In Pokljuka, Slovenia, Gössner competed in her first biathlon team event, a mixed relay race. She incurred four penalty loops in the standing shoot, with Germany finishing eighth eventually. One month later in Antholz, Italy, she reached third place in the women's relay with Germany, again skiing two penalty loops. At the World Cup stop in Fort Kent in the United States, Gössner claimed her third career podium, coming in second behind teammate Andrea Henkel in the sprint race.
In March 2011, Gössner made her first appearance at the Biathlon World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. She achieved good results, finishing in 9th place in the sprint, 7th in the pursuit and 14th in the mass start, and was consequently selected for the women's relay. Alongside Andrea Henkel, Tina Bachmann and Magdalena Neuner, Gössner ran the second leg for Germany, but again struggled with the standing shoot and had to ski two penalty loops. A strong finish by teammate Magdalena Neuner on the last leg, however, gave Gössner her first world championship gold medal and first World Cup win.International Biathlon Union. IBU World Championships – Khanty-Mansiysk (RUS) – Women 4 × 6 km Relay. IBU Datacenter. Retrieved 5 February 2012. Gössner ended her first complete biathlon season with three individual podiums and seven top ten finishes, ranked 14th in the overall World Cup standings.
Disappointing second season (2011–12 season)
2011–12 World Cup season results No. World Cup location Individual Sprint Pursuit Mass Start Relay Mixed relay 1 Östersund, Sweden 43 22 38 – – – 2 Hochfilzen, Austria – 48 38 – DNS – 3 Hochfilzen, Austria – 42 28 – – 5 4 Oberhof, Germany – 37 – DNS DNS – 5 Nové Město, Czech Republic 58 37 11 – – – 6 Antholz, Italy – 15 – 30 6 – 7 Oslo, Norway – 15 19 20 – – 8 Kontiolahti, Finland – 6 20 – – 5 WCH Ruhpolding, Germany 36 37 22 DNS 1 DNS 9 Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia – 16 25 29 – – Key:"—" denotes discipline not held; DNS—Did not start; WCH—World Championships
During the summer of 2011, Gössner had to undergo an emergency intestinal operation after being diagnosed with a volvulus.Kloo, Andreas. DSV-Sorgenkinder: Mysteriöse Erschöpfung und Not-OP. Sprot1.de. 23 November 2011. Accessed 6 February 2013. The 2011–12 World Cup season did not go as well as the previous winter. Gössner was struggling with her skiing speed and she only reached one individual top ten position during the entire season. A sixth place in the Kontiolahti sprint was her best position of the winter, shooting clean but not skiing fast enough for a podium finish.International Biathlon Union. E.ON Ruhrgas IBU World Cup – Kontiolahti (FIN) – Women 7.5 km Sprint. IBU Datacenter. Retrieved 6 February 2012. Four of her five best results during the 2011–12 season came in sprint events.
At the 2012 World Championships in Ruhpolding, Gössner managed to end the season with a good performance in front of her home fans. Despite mixed results, she was selected to run the third leg of Germany's women's relay, alongside Tina Bachmann, Magdalena Neuner and Andrea Henkel. She used three spare rounds and led the team from third to first position, playing a pivotal part in Germany's eventual relay victory.International Biathlon Union. IBU World Championships – Ruhpolding (GER) – Women 4 × 6 km Relay . IBU Datacenter. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
First individual World Cup victory (2012–13 season) 2012–13 World Cup season results No. World Cup location Individual Sprint Pursuit Mass Start Relay Mixed relay 1 Östersund, Sweden 11 45 23 – – – 2 Hochfilzen, Austria – 9 6 – 4 – 3 Pokljuka, Slovenia – 2 1 2 – 8 4 Oberhof, Germany – 1 10 –3 – 5 Ruhpolding, Germany – 1 – 8 4 – 6 Antholz, Italy – 62 DNS –1 – WCH Nové Město, Czech Republic 35 6 21 6 5 13 7 Oslo, Norway – – 24 DNS 19 – 8 Sochi, Russia 35 13 – – 1 – 9 Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia – 3 5 29 – – Key:"—" denotes discipline not held; DNS—Did not start; WCH—World Championships