Katrin Apel
Encyclopedia
Katrin Apel (born May 4, 1973, in Erfurt
) is a retired German
biathlete. 1.72 metre, 61 kg (134.5 lb). Apel now resides in Gräfenroda
, and is a member of the SV Eintracht Frankenhain club. Like most German winter sport athletes, Apel is a sport soldier, performing normal soldier duties but released for training and competitions.
Apel began her career as a cross country skier; between 1990 and 1994, her best results were third place in the junior World Championships 5 km classic in 1993, and second in the relay also in the junior World Championships, in 1990. However when Apel failed to qualify for the Olympics in Lillehammer
in 1994, she made the decision (along with her friend and then training partner Steffi) to switch to biathlon.
Apel began biathlon in 1994 in the European Cup, the second division to the World Cup. In Apel's first season in the World Cup, 1995/96, she placed 33rd, but her results improved from then on. In the 1998/99 season she placed 8th, in 1999/00 10th, 2000/01 12th. The 2001/02 season was her best when she finished the season in 5th place. In that season Apel placed 13th in the individual, 4th in the sprint, 4th in the pursuit, and 12th in the mass start. The year after she could only finish a lowly 20th place. She bounced back to 7th in the 2003/04 season and 8th again in 2004/05, where her best discipline was the pursuit, in which she finished 7th.
Apel has had 18 podium finishes in the World Cup. Four wins, five second places and nine third places. All but one of her World Cup wins were in the 2001/02 season when she came 5th in the final standings. Also three of the four wins were in the sprint. Apel is a solid shooter in the prone position, averaging mid 80% over the years, but her standing shoot lets her down, only in the low 70%, though it has improved from mid 60% from a few years ago.
Apel has four Olympic medals, two gold, one silver, and one bronze. Her only solo medal is a bronze in the sprint in the 1998 Winter Olympics
. She won the other medals in relay events. Apel has nine World Championship medals, three gold, five silver, and one bronze. However only two of the medals are solo medals, one a silver won in Oslo
's Holmenkollen ski festival
in 2000 in the sprint, and the other, also a silver, won in the mass start in Oberhof
in 2004. The remaining medals were won in relays.
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
) is a retired German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
biathlete. 1.72 metre, 61 kg (134.5 lb). Apel now resides in Gräfenroda
Gräfenroda
Gräfenroda is a municipality in Thuringia in the northeast of the Thüringer Wald forest, Ilm-Kreis district. Gräfenroda is the seat of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Oberes Geratal....
, and is a member of the SV Eintracht Frankenhain club. Like most German winter sport athletes, Apel is a sport soldier, performing normal soldier duties but released for training and competitions.
Apel began her career as a cross country skier; between 1990 and 1994, her best results were third place in the junior World Championships 5 km classic in 1993, and second in the relay also in the junior World Championships, in 1990. However when Apel failed to qualify for the Olympics in Lillehammer
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
in 1994, she made the decision (along with her friend and then training partner Steffi) to switch to biathlon.
Apel began biathlon in 1994 in the European Cup, the second division to the World Cup. In Apel's first season in the World Cup, 1995/96, she placed 33rd, but her results improved from then on. In the 1998/99 season she placed 8th, in 1999/00 10th, 2000/01 12th. The 2001/02 season was her best when she finished the season in 5th place. In that season Apel placed 13th in the individual, 4th in the sprint, 4th in the pursuit, and 12th in the mass start. The year after she could only finish a lowly 20th place. She bounced back to 7th in the 2003/04 season and 8th again in 2004/05, where her best discipline was the pursuit, in which she finished 7th.
Apel has had 18 podium finishes in the World Cup. Four wins, five second places and nine third places. All but one of her World Cup wins were in the 2001/02 season when she came 5th in the final standings. Also three of the four wins were in the sprint. Apel is a solid shooter in the prone position, averaging mid 80% over the years, but her standing shoot lets her down, only in the low 70%, though it has improved from mid 60% from a few years ago.
Apel has four Olympic medals, two gold, one silver, and one bronze. Her only solo medal is a bronze in the sprint in the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
. She won the other medals in relay events. Apel has nine World Championship medals, three gold, five silver, and one bronze. However only two of the medals are solo medals, one a silver won in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
's Holmenkollen ski festival
Holmenkollen ski festival
The Holmenkollen Ski Festival is a traditional annual Nordic skiing event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic. It takes place in March and has been arranged every year since 1892, except for 1898 and during World War II...
in 2000 in the sprint, and the other, also a silver, won in the mass start in Oberhof
Oberhof, Germany
Oberhof is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district of Thuringia, Germany. It is a winter sports center and health resort. It is visited by tenfold as many tourists every year...
in 2004. The remaining medals were won in relays.