A short biography on this Phenomenal Olympic Athlete
Kati Wilhelm is an athlete not to be reckoned with. She is known for her strength and determination, and has had numerous victories, including 3 Olympic gold medals, and 3 silvers.
Although Kati has been competing for a number of years in biathlon, she has decided to pursue the Olympics for one final round at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver Canada. She has prepared herself not to go out quietly, but with a big win. She stands on her six Olympic medals (3 gold, 3 silver) and 13 World Championship titles including 5 gold, 4 silver, and 4 bronze.
Wilhelm was born in a small town called Schmalkalden in Old East Germany. The town consists of 18,000 inhabitants and lies on the wooded slopes of Thuringe. Coincidentally this is also where the double biathlon World Champion and Silver Medalist Sven Fischer also grew up.
Starting as a child cross country skiing, Wilhelm instantly fell in love with it. Leaving school in 1995, she joined the German army (Bundeswehr) where she trained and further developed her skills in skiing. In 1999 she started biathlon by fluke. She was invited to try the target practice at the Military World Championships, and her precision in marksmanship made her shift her focus from cross-country skiing to biathlon.
Aside from her skills, Kati is recognized by her big smile and her flaming red hair. She looks forward to seeing her fans, and coming out on top at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
