# Ricco Groß

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

## 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..

## 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. 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.
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. Groß took a total of 53 individual podium finishes in World Cup competition, including nine race wins.
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. He was subsequently announced as senior trainer for the German IBU Cup team in April 2014. In August 2015 he became a senior coach for the Russian men's biathlon squad, agreeing a contract up to the 2017-18 season. 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.

## Biathlon results

All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union.

### 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 |
| 1996–97 2 victories (2 In) | 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 |
| 1999–2000 2 victories (1 Sp, 1 MS) | 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.