Raphaël Poirée
# Raphaël Poirée

Raphaël Poirée (born 9 August 1974) is a retired French biathlete who was active from 1995 to 2007. With his 44 World Cup victories and several World Championship medals he ranks among the most successful biathletes ever.

## Sports career

Poirée was born in Rives, Isère in France and like the rest of his colleagues in the French biathlon and cross-country skiing team, was a sport soldier.

Poirée has four IBU World Cup titles (1999−00, 2000−01, 2001−02 and 2003−04). He has also come second once, in 2005−06 and third once, in the 2004−05 season. Poirée has had 103 World Cup podium finishes, 44 in first place, 39 in second, and has come third 20 times. In the Winter Olympics, Poiree has one silver and two bronze medals. At the World Championships however, he has seven gold medals, three silver and seven bronze.

Raphaël Poirée was one of the best mass start biathletes of his time, with 9 1st places, 4 2nd places, and 3 3rd places in his World Cup career, second only to Ole Einar Bjørndalen who got 10 1st places, 5 2nd places and 4 3rd places in the same time frame. Poirée also won 4 out of the 7 World Championship mass start races he took part in.

Poirée also had five victories at the Holmenkollen ski festival biathlon competition with three mass starts (2000, 2002, and 2004), one pursuit (2004) and one individual (2007).

After winning the gold medal at the World Championships in Antholz in 2007, Poiree announced the end of his career after that World Cup season. He eventually chose to retire after the Holmenkollen World Cup meet (i.e. before the season's last WC meet, in Khanty-Mansyisk in Russia the week after); his last competition was the Mass start race on Sunday 11 March, where he finished in second place after a cm-close last sprint to the finish line against his long-time competitor Ole Einar Bjørndalen of Norway.

## Personal life

He married Norwegian biathlete Liv Grete Skjelbreid Poirée on 27 May 2000 in Norway. They first met at the 1992 Junior World Championships and began dating in 1996. They have three daughters together, Emma (born 27 January 2003), Anna (born 10 January 2007) and Lena (born 10 October 2008). They have a flat in La Chapelle-en-Vercors, France, but live mostly in Liv Grete's home village of Hålandsdal, Norway. The Poirées are the only husband and wife to win medals in the same Olympics for different nations. At the 2002 Winter Olympics, France’s Raphaël and Norway’s Liv won matching silver medals in the biathlon. In July 2013, the couple announced that they were separating.

In 2009, Poirée was involved in a quad-bike accident which nearly left him paralysed. One month after undergoing neck and back surgery he was released from hospital.

He speaks French, English, Norwegian and Italian

## Biathlon results

All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union.

### Olympic Games

3 medals (1 silver, 2 bronze)

| Event | Individual | Sprint | Pursuit | Mass start | Relay |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1998 Nagano | 22nd | DNF | — | — | 7th |
| 2002 Salt Lake City | 10th | 9th | Silver | — | Bronze |
| 2006 Turin | 20th | 8th | DNF | 12th | Bronze |

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

### World Championships

18 medals (8 gold, 3 silver, 7 bronze)

| Event | Individual | Sprint | Pursuit | Mass start | Team | Relay | Mixed relay |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1996 Ruhpolding | 67th | 23rd | — | — | 10th | 5th | — |
| 1997 Brezno-Osrblie | 14th | 59th | — | — | 7th | 5th | — |
| 1998 Pokljuka | — | — | Bronze | — | 7th | — | — |
| 1999 Kontiolahti | 19th | 26th | 11th | 9th | — | 12th | — |
| 2000 Oslo Holmenkollen | 4th | 6th | Bronze | Gold | — | 10th | — |
| 2001 Pokljuka | 37th | 7th | Silver | Gold | — | Gold | — |
| 2002 Oslo Holmenkollen | — | — | — | Gold | — | — | — |
| 2003 Khanty-Mansiysk | 7th | DNF | — | Bronze | — | 13th | — |
| 2004 Oberhof | Gold | Gold | Silver | Gold | — | Bronze | — |
| 2005 Hochfilzen | 8th | 13th | 9th | Bronze | — | 5th | 6th |
| 2006 Pokljuka | — | — | — | — | — | — | Bronze |
| 2007 Antholz-Anterselva | Gold | 8th | 6th | Bronze | — | — | Silver |

    *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.

### World Cup

| Season | Overall | Overall | Individual | Individual | Sprint | Sprint | Pursuit | Pursuit | Mass start | Mass start |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Season | Points | Position | Points | Position | Points | Position | Points | Position | Points | Position |
| 1994–95 | 0 | — | 0 | — | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1995–96 | 108 | 17th | 59 | 14th | 49 | 20th | — | — | — | — |
| 1996–97 | 150 | 16th | 29 | 26th | 87 | 13th | 34 | 12th | — | — |
| 1997–98 | 249 | 5th | 42 | 12th | 161 | 2nd | 46 | 7th | — | — |
| 1998–99 | 365 | 5th | 26 | 15th | 107 | 11th | 185 | 1st | 47 | 2nd |
| 1999–00 | 470 | 1st | 68 | 2nd | 153 | 3rd | 172 | 3rd | 77 | 1st |
| 2000–01 | 921 | 1st | 83 | 7th | 375 | 2nd | 278 | 1st | 136 | 3rd |
| 2001–02 | 805 | 1st | 88 | 5th | 233 | 3rd | 362 | 1st | 100 | 2nd |
| 2002–03 | 591 | 4th | 32 | 23rd | 226 | 4th | 199 | 3rd | 114 | 3rd |
| 2003–04 | 1010 | 1st | 146 | 1st | 358 | 1st | 331 | 1st | 140 | 1st |
| 2004–05 | 869 | 3rd | 99 | 6th | 277 | 3rd | 374 | 3rd | 146 | 1st |
| 2005–06 | 695 | 2nd | 83 | 3rd | 245 | 3rd | 200 | 3rd | 157 | 2nd |
| 2006–07 | 709 | 3rd | 150 | 1st | 207 | 6th | 173 | 7th | 147 | 3rd |

    *Pursuit was added as an event in the 1996–97 season, and mass start was added in the 1998–99 season.

### Individual victories

44 victories (7 In, 13 Sp, 15 Pu, 9 MS)

| Season | Date | Location | Discipline | Level |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1997–98 1 victory (1 Sp) | 8 January 1998 | Ruhpolding | 10 km sprint | Biathlon World Cup |
| 1998–99 4 victories (3 Pu, 1 MS) | 12 December 1998 | Hochfilzen | 12.5 km pursuit | Biathlon World Cup |
| 1998–99 4 victories (3 Pu, 1 MS) | 13 January 1999 | Ruhpolding | 15 km mass start | Biathlon World Cup |
| 1998–99 4 victories (3 Pu, 1 MS) | 17 January 1999 | Ruhpolding | 12.5 km pursuit | Biathlon World Cup |
| 1998–99 4 victories (3 Pu, 1 MS) | 27 February 1999 | Lake Placid | 12.5 km pursuit | Biathlon World Cup |
| 1999–2000 3 victories (1 In, 1 Sp, 1 MS) | 15 December 1999 | Pokljuka | 20 km individual | Biathlon World Cup |
| 1999–2000 3 victories (1 In, 1 Sp, 1 MS) | 20 January 2000 | Antholz-Anterselva | 10 km sprint | Biathlon World Cup |
| 1999–2000 3 victories (1 In, 1 Sp, 1 MS) | 26 February 2000 | Oslo Holmenkollen | 15 km mass start | Biathlon World Championships |
| 2000–01 6 victories (3 Sp, 2 Pu, 1 MS) | 7 December 2000 | Antholz-Anterselva | 10 km sprint | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2000–01 6 victories (3 Sp, 2 Pu, 1 MS) | 8 December 2000 | Antholz-Anterselva | 12.5 km pursuit | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2000–01 6 victories (3 Sp, 2 Pu, 1 MS) | 15 December 2000 | Antholz-Anterselva | 10 km sprint | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2000–01 6 victories (3 Sp, 2 Pu, 1 MS) | 4 January 2001 | Oberhof | 10 km sprint | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2000–01 6 victories (3 Sp, 2 Pu, 1 MS) | 14 January 2001 | Ruhpolding | 12.5 km pursuit | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2000–01 6 victories (3 Sp, 2 Pu, 1 MS) | 9 February 2001 | Pokljuka | 15 km mass start | Biathlon World Championships |
| 2001–02 7 victories (2 Sp, 3 Pu, 2 MS) | 16 December 2001 | Pokljuka | 12.5 km pursuit | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2001–02 7 victories (2 Sp, 3 Pu, 2 MS) | 12 January 2002 | Oberhof | 15 km mass start | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2001–02 7 victories (2 Sp, 3 Pu, 2 MS) | 18 January 2002 | Ruhpolding | 10 km sprint | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2001–02 7 victories (2 Sp, 3 Pu, 2 MS) | 27 January 2002 | Antholz-Anterselva | 12.5 km pursuit | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2001–02 7 victories (2 Sp, 3 Pu, 2 MS) | 14 March 2002 | Lahti | 10 km sprint | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2001–02 7 victories (2 Sp, 3 Pu, 2 MS) | 17 March 2002 | Lahti | 12.5 km pursuit | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2001–02 7 victories (2 Sp, 3 Pu, 2 MS) | 24 March 2002 | Oslo Holmenkollen | 15 km mass start | Biathlon World Championships |
| 2002–03 2 victories (1 Sp, 1 Pu) | 19 December 2002 | Brezno-Osrblie | 10 km sprint | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2002–03 2 victories (1 Sp, 1 Pu) | 22 December 2002 | Brezno-Osrblie | 12.5 km pursuit | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2003–04 11 victories (2 In, 3 Sp, 4 Pu, 2 MS) | 18 December 2003 | Brezno-Osrblie | 20 km individual | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2003–04 11 victories (2 In, 3 Sp, 4 Pu, 2 MS) | 21 December 2003 | Brezno-Osrblie | 12.5 km pursuit | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2003–04 11 victories (2 In, 3 Sp, 4 Pu, 2 MS) | 8 January 2004 | Pokljuka | 10 km sprint | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2003–04 11 victories (2 In, 3 Sp, 4 Pu, 2 MS) | 25 January 2004 | Antholz-Anterselva | 15 km mass start | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2003–04 11 victories (2 In, 3 Sp, 4 Pu, 2 MS) | 7 February 2004 | Oberhof | 10 km sprint | Biathlon World Championships |
| 2003–04 11 victories (2 In, 3 Sp, 4 Pu, 2 MS) | 12 February 2004 | Oberhof | 20 km individual | Biathlon World Championships |
| 2003–04 11 victories (2 In, 3 Sp, 4 Pu, 2 MS) | 15 February 2004 | Oberhof | 15 km mass start | Biathlon World Championships |
| 2003–04 11 victories (2 In, 3 Sp, 4 Pu, 2 MS) | 29 February 2004 | Lake Placid | 12.5 km pursuit | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2003–04 11 victories (2 In, 3 Sp, 4 Pu, 2 MS) | 4 March 2004 | Fort Kent | 10 km sprint | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2003–04 11 victories (2 In, 3 Sp, 4 Pu, 2 MS) | 5 March 2004 | Fort Kent | 12.5 km pursuit | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2003–04 11 victories (2 In, 3 Sp, 4 Pu, 2 MS) | 13 March 2004 | Oslo Holmenkollen | 12.5 km pursuit | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2004–05 3 victories (1 Pu, 2 MS) | 19 December 2004 | Östersund | 15 km mass start | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2004–05 3 victories (1 Pu, 2 MS) | 9 January 2005 | Oberhof | 12.5 km pursuit | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2004–05 3 victories (1 Pu, 2 MS) | 19 March 2005 | Khanty-Mansiysk | 15 km mass start | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2005–06 1 victory (1 In) | 8 December 2005 | Hochfilzen | 20 km individual | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2006–07 6 victories (3 In, 2 Sp, 1 Pu) | 14 December 2006 | Hochfilzen | 10 km sprint | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2006–07 6 victories (3 In, 2 Sp, 1 Pu) | 6 February 2007 | Antholz-Anterselva | 20 km individual | Biathlon World Championships |
| 2006–07 6 victories (3 In, 2 Sp, 1 Pu) | 1 March 2007 | Lahti | 20 km individual | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2006–07 6 victories (3 In, 2 Sp, 1 Pu) | 3 March 2007 | Lahti | 10 km sprint | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2006–07 6 victories (3 In, 2 Sp, 1 Pu) | 4 March 2007 | Lahti | 12.5 km pursuit | Biathlon World Cup |
| 2006–07 6 victories (3 In, 2 Sp, 1 Pu) | 8 March 2007 | Oslo Holmenkollen | 20 km individual | Biathlon World Cup |

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