Ricco Groß

Ricco Groß

Groß in Antholz-Anterselva in 2006.
Personal information
Born	(1970-08-22) 22 August 1970 (age 54) Bad Schlema, East Germany
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Website	Ricco-Gross.de
Professional information
Sport	Biathlon
Club	Ski Club Ruhpolding
Retired	18 March 2007
Olympic Games
Teams	5 (1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006)
Medals	8 (4 gold)
World Championships
Teams	15 (1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)
Medals	20 (9 gold)
World Cup
Seasons	17 (1990/91–2006/07)
Individual victories	9
All victories	33
Individual podiums	52
All podiums	95
Discipline titles	1: 1 Individual (1996–97)
Medal record Men's biathlon Representing  Germany Olympic Games 1992 Albertville 4 × 7.5 km relay 1994 Lillehammer 4 × 7.5 km relay 1998 Nagano 4 × 7.5 km relay 2006 Turin 4 × 7.5 km relay 1992 Albertville 10 km sprint 1994 Lillehammer 10 km sprint 2002 Salt Lake City 4 × 7.5 km relay 2002 Salt Lake City 12.5 km pursuit World Championships 1991 Lahti 4 × 7.5 km relay 1995 Antholz-Anterselva 4 × 7.5 km relay 1997 Brezno-Osrblie 20 km individual 1997 Brezno-Osrblie 4 × 7.5 km relay 1999 Kontiolahti 12.5 km pursuit 2003 Khanty-Mansiysk 12.5 km pursuit 2003 Khanty-Mansiysk 4 × 7.5 km relay 2004 Oberhof 12.5 km pursuit 2004 Oberhof 4 × 7.5 km relay 1996 Ruhpolding 4 × 7.5 km relay 1998 Hochfilzen Team event 1999 Oslo 20 km individual 2003 Khanty-Mansiysk 10 km sprint 2004 Oberhof 10 km sprint 1995 Antholz-Anterselva 10 km sprint 2000 Lahti 4 × 7.5 km relay 2003 Khanty-Mansiysk 20 km individual 2005 Hochfilzen 20 km individual 2005 Khanty-Mansiysk Mixed relay 2007 Antholz-Anterselva 4 × 7.5 km relay

Ricco Groß (also spelled Gross, born 22 August 1970) is a former German biathlete.^[1] He is one of the most successful biathletes of all time at the Winter Olympics and the World Championships.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

He has been married to his wife Kathrin since 1994 and they have three sons: Marco (born 1995), Simon (b. 1998), and Gabriel (b. 2004). He is a Hauptfeldwebel (Sergeant First Class) in the German Bundeswehr..^{[citation needed]}

Career

Groß started out as a cross-country skier but switched to biathlon at the age of 13. He made his World Cup debut at the age of 20.^[2] His first club was the SG Dynamo Klingenthal until 1991. In the Biathlon World Cup of 1997/1998, he came second in the overall competition. In the biathlon competition at the 1992, 1994, and 1998 Winter Olympics, he won gold medals as part of the men's 4 × 7.5 km relay team. At the 2002 Winter Olympics in the 4 × 7.5 km relay for men the German team won silver and at the 12.5 km pursuit for men, he won bronze for himself. He took a total of eight Olympic medals during his career, including four relay golds.^[3]

In the Biathlon World Championships sprint (10 km) he won bronze in 1995, and silver in 2003 and 2004. In 1999, 2003, and 2004, he won gold in the pursuit (12.5 km). In the individual (20 km), he won gold in 1997, silver in 1999, and bronze in 2003 and 2005. He took a total of nine World Championship titles.^[4] Groß took a total of 53 individual podium finishes in World Cup competition, including nine race wins.^[3]

After retiring from competition Groß settled in Ruhpolding. He has worked as a commentator on biathlon for German television and was appointed as coach of the German women's biathlon team in 2010.^[2] He was subsequently announced as senior trainer for the German IBU Cup team in April 2014.^[5] In August 2015 he became a senior coach for the Russian men's biathlon squad, agreeing a contract up to the 2017-18 season.^[3] In this role he guided the team to the 2016-17 relay World Cup title. In May 2018, Groß was announced as head coach for the Austrian men's biathlon team.^[4]

Biathlon results

All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union.^[6]

Olympic Games

8 medals (4 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze)

Event	Individual	Sprint	Pursuit	Mass start	Relay
1992 Albertville	—	Silver	—	—	Gold
1994 Lillehammer	—	Silver	—	—	Gold
1998 Nagano	6th	17th	—	—	Gold
2002 Salt Lake City	4th	4th	Bronze	—	Silver
2006 Turin	11th	6th	12th	—	Gold

*Pursuit was added as an event in 2002, with mass start being added in 2006.

World Championships

20 medals (9 gold, 5 silver, 6 bronze)

Event	Individual	Sprint	Pursuit	Mass start	Team	Relay	Mixed relay
1991 Lahti	—	16th	—	—	4th	Gold	—
1993 Borovets	6th	64th	—	—	—	—	—
1995 Antholz-Anterselva	55th	Bronze	—	—	14th	Gold	—
1996 Ruhpolding	9th	12th	—	—	6th	Silver	—
1997 Brezno-Osrblie	Gold	34th	26th	—	—	Gold	—
1998 Pokljuka	—	—	7th	—	Silver	—	—
1999 Kontiolahti	Silver	6th	Gold	8th	—	4th	—
2000 Oslo Holmenkollen	9th	7th	18th	6th	—	Bronze	—
2001 Pokljuka	7th	27th	14th	4th	—	12th	—
2002 Oslo Holmenkollen	—	—	—	11th	—	—	—
2003 Khanty-Mansiysk	Bronze	Silver	Gold	22nd	—	Gold	—
2004 Oberhof	4th	Silver	Gold	29th	—	Gold	—
2005 Hochfilzen	Bronze	7th	6th	7th	—	6th	Bronze
2006 Pokljuka	—	—	—	—	—	—	10th
2007 Antholz-Anterselva	9th	—	—	—	—	Bronze	—

*During Olympic seasons competitions are only held for those events not included in the Olympic program.

**Team was removed as an event in 1998, and pursuit was added in 1997 with mass start being added in 1999 and the mixed relay in 2005.

Individual victories

9 victories (3 In, 1 Sp, 4 Pu, 1 MS)

Season	Date	Location	Discipline	Level
1996–97 2 victories (2 In)	9 January 1997	Ruhpolding	20 km individual	Biathlon World Cup
	7 February 1997	Brezno-Osrblie	20 km individual	Biathlon World Championships
1997–98 1 victory (1 In)	3 March 1998	Pokljuka	20 km individual	Biathlon World Cup
1998–99 1 victory (1 Pu)	13 February 1999	Kontiolahti	12.5 km pursuit	Biathlon World Championships
1999–2000 2 victories (1 Sp, 1 MS)	12 January 2000	Ruhpolding	15 km mass start	Biathlon World Cup
	15 January 2000	Ruhpolding	10 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
2002–03 1 victory (1 Pu)	16 March 2003	Khanty-Mansiysk	12.5 km pursuit	Biathlon World Championships
2003–04 1 victory (1 Pu)	8 February 2004	Oberhof	12.5 km pursuit	Biathlon World Championships
2005–06 1 victory (1 Pu)	20 January 2006	Antholz-Anterselva	12.5 km pursuit	Biathlon World Cup

*Results are from UIPMB and IBU races which include the Biathlon World Cup, Biathlon World Championships and the Winter Olympic Games.

See also

• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event

References

1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Ricco Groß". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2016.
2. "Ricco Gross - Olympic Athlete". Olympic.org. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
3. "Ricco Gross Heads to Russia as Senior Men's Coach". International Biathlon Union. 13 August 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
4. "Coaching Carousel Part 2: Moves in Austria, Switzerland, France and Russia". International Biathlon Union. 23 May 2019. Archived from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
5. "Coaching Changes in Germany and Austria". International Biathlon Union. 8 April 2014. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
6. "Ricco Gross". IBU Datacenter. International Biathlon Union. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.

External links

• Official website
• Ricco Gross at IBU BiathlonWorld.com
• Ricco Gross at IBU BiathlonResults.com
• Ricco Gross at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation
• Ricco Gross at Olympics.com
• Ricco Gross at OlympicChannel.com (archived)
• Ricco Groß at Olympedia