View source for Michael Rösch

{{short description|German and Belgian former biathlete (born 1983)}}
{{About|the biathlete|the film director|Michael Roesch}}
{{expand German|topic=bio|date=April 2022|Michael Rösch}}
{{Infobox biathlete <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Biathlon -->
| name              = Michael Rösch
| image             = Michael Rösch, 2007.jpg
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| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1983|5|4}}
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| residence         = 
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| disciplines       = [[Biathlon]]
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| show-medals       = yes
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| medaltemplates    = 
{{MedalSport | Men's [[biathlon]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{GER}}}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Biathlon at the Winter Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[Biathlon at the 2006 Winter Olympics|2006 Torino]] |[[Biathlon at the 2006 Winter Olympics – Men's relay|4 × 7.5 km relay]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Biathlon World Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalBronze | [[Biathlon World Championships 2007|{{nowrap|2007 Antholz-Anterselva}}]] | [[Biathlon World Championships 2007 – Men's Relay|4 × 7.5 km relay]] }}
{{MedalBronze | [[Biathlon World Championships 2008|{{nowrap|2008 Östersund}}]] | {{nowrap|4 × 7.5 km relay}} }}
{{MedalBronze | [[Biathlon World Championships 2009|{{nowrap|2009 Pyeongchang}}]] | {{nowrap|4 × 7.5 km relay}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Summer Biathlon World Championships|Summer World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold | {{nowrap|2009 Oberhof}} | {{nowrap|12.5 km pursuit}} }}
{{MedalGold | {{nowrap|2009 Oberhof}} | {{nowrap|Mixed relay}} }}
{{MedalSilver | {{nowrap|2009 Oberhof}} | {{nowrap|10 km sprint}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Biathlon Junior World Championships|Junior World Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[Biathlon Junior World Championships 2001|2001 Khanty-Mansiysk]]|{{nowrap|4 × 7.5 km relay}}}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[Biathlon Junior World Championships 2002|2002 Ridnaun]]|4 × 7.5 km relay}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[Biathlon Junior World Championships 2003|2003 Kościelisko]]|10 km sprint}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[Biathlon Junior World Championships 2004|2004 Haute Maurienne]]|4 × 7.5 km relay}}
{{Medal|Silver|2002 Ridnaun|15 km individual}}
{{Medal|Silver|2003 Kościelisko|4 × 7.5 km relay}}
{{Medal|Silver|2004 Haute Maurienne|10 km sprint}}
{{Medal|Silver|2004 Haute Maurienne|12.5 km pursuit}}
{{MedalCountry|{{BEL}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Summer Biathlon World Championships|Summer World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold | {{nowrap|2014 Tyumen}} | {{nowrap|12.5 km pursuit}} }}
{{MedalSilver | {{nowrap|2014 Tyumen}} | {{nowrap|10 km sprint}} }}
}}

'''Michael Rösch''' (born 4 May 1983)<ref name=equipe>{{cite web |url=https://www.lequipe.fr/Aussi/AussiFicheAthlete7500000000024165.html |title=Michael Roesch |author=<!--Not stated-->|website=[[L'Équipe]]|language=fr |access-date=17 January 2019}}</ref> is a German and Belgian (since 2014) former [[Biathlon|biathlete]].

==Life and career==
He is the son of the former biathlete [[Eberhard Rösch]]. He was junior world champion four times, three times in the relay and once in the sprint distance in 2003. On 16 December 2005 Rösch took his first official world cup podium with a second in the 10&nbsp;km sprint, and on 15 January 2006 he won his first world cup victory in [[Ruhpolding]] when he beat [[Raphaël Poirée]]. In 2006, he won an Olympic gold medal with the German team in the relay. In addition, Rösch finished fifth in the overall standings in the [[2005–06 Biathlon World Cup]].<ref name=equipe /> He also took three World Championship bronze medals in relays and two race wins in the [[Biathlon World Cup]].<ref name=dpa />

However, in subsequent years Rösch suffered a dip in form, which led to him not being selected for the [[2010 Winter Olympics]].<ref name=dpa>{{cite web |url=http://www.dpa-international.com/topic/biathlete-michael-roesch-olympics-via-crowdfunding-171229-99-444122 |title=Biathlete Michael Roesch, to the Olympics via crowdfunding |last=Degenhardt |first=Sandra |date=30 December 2017 |website=[[Deutsche Presse-Agentur]] |access-date=17 January 2019}}</ref> The decline in Rösch's results saw him being dropped by the [[German Ski Association]] (DSV) from international competition, both from the World Cup and the second-tier [[IBU Cup]]. When his improved performances saw him set to be picked for the [[Biathlon World Championships 2012|2012 Biathlon World Championships]], the DSV did not select him, escalating disputes between himself and the Association and eventually leading him to switch nationalities and apply for [[Belgian nationality law|Belgian citizenship]]. However, Rösch's naturalisation was not completed until January 2014, leaving him without enough time to qualify for  the [[2014 Winter Olympics]]. During this period, in order to rebuild his sporting career, he resigned from his position in the police force in Germany, and moved back in with his parents.<ref name=dpa /><ref name=ts>{{cite web |url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/sport/biathlon-michael-roesch-geniesst-in-ruhpolding-sein-letztes-hoch/23874830.html |title=Michael Rösch genießt in Ruhpolding sein letztes Hoch |last=Nedo |first=Johannes |date=17 January 2019 |website=[[Der Tagesspiegel]] |language=de |trans-title=Michael Rösch enjoys his last high in Ruhpolding|access-date=17 January 2019}}</ref>

Whilst competing for Belgium, Rösch initially trained with [[Alexander Os]] and [[Lars Berger]], who had similarly been dropped by the [[Norwegian Biathlon Association]], in a training group they humorously nicknamed the "Feskslog"—Norwegian for "fish waste".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rtbf.be/sport/autres/sports-d-hiver/detail_rosch-j-ai-tout-quitte-pour-continuer-le-biathlon?id=8474306 |title=Rösch : "J'ai tout quitté pour continuer le biathlon" |last=Weynants |first=M.|date=3 December 2014 |website=[[rtbf.be]] |language=fr |trans-title=Rösch: "I gave up everything to continue biathlon" |access-date=19 January 2019}}</ref> He later switched to training with the Swiss biathlon squad.<ref name=ibu /> He made his debut for Belgium at an IBU Cup meeting in [[Martell, South Tyrol|Martell, Italy]], in March 2014, taking two top 20 finishes in the sprint and pursuit there.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rtbf.be/sport/article/detail?id=8222257 |title=Michael Rösch 19e pour ses débuts "belges" |last=Weynants |first=M.|date=14 March 2014 |website=[[rtbf.be]]|language=fr |trans-title=Michael Rösch 19th for his "Belgian" debut|access-date=19 January 2019}}</ref><ref name=wc>{{cite web |url=https://www.rtbf.be/sport/article/detail?id=8232551 |title=Michael Rösch en Coupe du Monde l'an prochain |last=Weynants |first=M. |date=27 March 2014 |website=[[rtbf.be]]|language= fr |trans-title=Michael Rösch in World Cup next year |access-date=19 January 2019}}</ref> These performances earned him a [[Wild card (sports)|wild card]] for the [[2014–15 Biathlon World Cup|2014–15 World Cup season]].<ref name=wc /> After switching countries, in August 2014 he became the first Belgian biathlete to win a global title when he took the gold medal in the pursuit at the [[Summer Biathlon World Championships]] in [[Tyumen]], [[Russia]], having already taken a silver in the sprint the previous day.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rtbf.be/sport/article/detail?id=8339427|title=Rösch décroche le premier titre mondial de l'histoire du biathlon belge |last1=Berger |first1=M.|last2=Weynants |first2=M. |date=24 August 2014 |website=[[rtbf.be]]|language=fr|trans-title=Rösch wins the first world title in the history of Belgian biathlon|access-date=20 January 2019}}</ref> Rösch also led the first Belgian World Cup relay team. In December 2016, he finished sixth in the pursuit at the [[2016–17 Biathlon World Cup – World Cup 2|Pokljuka World Cup meeting]], his first top ten World Cup finish in solo competition since 2009: Rösch subsequently said that this result was "a bigger success than the Olympic gold medal. There was a lot more in it after all the setbacks".<ref name=dpa /><ref name=ts /><ref name=ibu>{{cite web |url=http://www.biathlonworld.com/news/detail/the-second-biathlon-life-of-michael-roesch |title=The Second Biathlon Life of Michael Roesch |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=16 March 2017 |website=[[International Biathlon Union]]|access-date=18 January 2019}}</ref> In a tearful interview by the finish line, he dedicated the result to his late former coach, [[Klaus Siebert]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sport1.de/wintersport/biathlon/2016/12/biathlon-der-steinige-weg-des-michael-roesch|title=Röschs Leidensweg zurück in den Olymp |last=Böhm |first=Eric |date=20 January 2019|website=[[sport1.de]] |language=de |trans-title=Rösch's ordeal back to Olympus |access-date=20 January 2019}}</ref> He also became the first Belgian to take a podium in the top two tiers of biathlon competition when he finished second in an IBU Cup race.<ref name=dpa />

In 2018, he competed at his second Olympics, twelve years after his first, after [[crowdfunding]] the equivalent of over US$28,500 to enable him to do so.<ref name=dpa /> He finished in 23rd position in the [[Biathlon at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Men's pursuit|pursuit]], 38th in the [[Biathlon at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Men's sprint|sprint]] and 75th in the [[Biathlon at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Men's individual|individual]].<ref name=ts /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lesoir.be/200238/article/2019-01-12/le-biathlete-michael-roesch-bientot-papa-va-mettre-un-terme-sa-carriere |title=Le biathlète Michael Roesch, bientôt papa, va mettre un terme à sa carrière |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=12 January 2019|website=[[Le Soir]] |language=fr |trans-title=Biathlete Michael Roesch, soon a father, will end his career  |access-date=20 January 2019}}</ref> In January 2019, at the [[Oberhof, Germany|Oberhof]] [[2018–19 Biathlon World Cup|World Cup]] meeting, Rösch announced that he would retire from competition after the next weekend's following World Cup round in [[Ruhpolding]], explaining that he felt it was the right time to retire as he was expecting to become a father for the first time, with his girlfriend being due to give birth in March.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sportschau.de/wintersport/biathlon/biathlet-michael-roesch-erklaerte-karriereruecktritt-100.html|title=Tränenreicher Abschied - Michael Rösch beendet Biathlon-Karriere |last=Hofmeister |first=Dirk |date=12 January 2019|website=[[Sportschau]]|language=de |trans-title=Tearful farewell - Michael Rösch finishes biathlon career|access-date=20 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/sport/wintersport/biathlon-olympiasieger-roesch-beendet-karriere-ein-rueckblick-15996129.html|title=Böcke und Volltreffer |last=Dieterle |first=Claus |date=18 January 2019 |website=[[faz.net]] |language=de |trans-title=Bucks and Bull's-Eyes |access-date=20 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sportsactu.be/fra/autres/lis/2019-01-17/michael-rosch-a-dispute-sa-derniere-course-en-individuel|title=Michael Rösch a disputé sa dernière course en individuel|date=17 January 2019}}</ref>

==Biathlon results==
All results are sourced from the [[International Biathlon Union]].<ref name="IBUprofile">{{cite web |url=http://biathlonresults.com/?IBUId=BTGER11604197101 |title=Michael Rösch |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=IBU Datacenter |publisher=International Biathlon Union |access-date=11 February 2018}}</ref>

===Olympic Games===
''1 medals (1 gold)''
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|- "
!Event
!style="width:70px;"|Individual
!style="width:70px;"|Sprint
!style="width:70px;"|Pursuit
!style="width:70px;"|{{nowrap|Mass start}}
!style="width:70px;"|Relay
|-
! colspan=6|Representing {{GER}}
|-
| align=left |{{flagicon|ITA}} [[2006 Winter Olympics|2006 Turin]]
| 42nd
| —
| —
| 10th
| style="background:gold;"| '''Gold'''
|-
! colspan=6|Representing {{BEL}}
|-
| align=left |{{flagicon|KOR}} [[2018 Winter Olympics|2018 Pyeongchang]]
| 75th
| 38th
| 23rd 
| —
| —
|}

===World Championships===
''3 medals (3 bronze)''
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|- "
!Event
!Individual
!Sprint
!Pursuit
!{{nowrap|Mass start}}
!Relay
!{{nowrap|Mixed relay}}
|-
! colspan=7|Representing {{GER}}
|-
| align=left |{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Biathlon World Championships 2005|2005 Hochfilzen]]
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| 17th
|-
| align=left |{{flagicon|SLO}} [[Biathlon World Championships 2006|2006 Pokljuka]]
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 4th
|-
| align=left |{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Biathlon World Championships 2007|2007 Antholz-Anterselva]]
| —
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 18th
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 10th
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 23rd
| style="background:#cfaa88; width:70px;"|'''Bronze'''
| —
|-
| align=left |{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Biathlon World Championships 2008|2008 Östersund]]
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 25th
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 5th
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 7th
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 28th
| style="background:#cfaa88; width:70px;"|'''Bronze'''
| —
|-
| align=left |{{flagicon|KOR}} [[Biathlon World Championships 2009|2009 Pyeongchang]]
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 18th
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 14th
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 9th
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 5th
| style="background:#cfaa88; width:70px;"|'''Bronze'''
| —
|-
! colspan=7|Representing {{BEL}}
|-
| align=left |{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Biathlon World Championships 2015|2015 Kontiolahti]]
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 13th
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 21st
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 23rd
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 26th
| —
| —
|-
| align=left |{{flagicon|NOR}} [[Biathlon World Championships 2016|2016 Oslo]]
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 45th
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 80th
| —
| —
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 24th
| —
|-
| align=left |{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Biathlon World Championships 2017|2017 Hochfilzen]]
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 55th
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 51st
| style="text-align:center; width:70px;"| 31st
| —
| —
| —
|-
|}
:''*During Olympic seasons competitions are only held for those events not included in the Olympic program.''
:''**In 2005 the mixed relay, contested for the first time in the World Championships, was held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.''

===Individual victories===
''2 victories (1 Sp, 1 Pu)''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Season
! Date
! Location
! Discipline
! Level
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| '''[[2005–06 Biathlon World Cup|2005–06]]''' <br /> 1 victories <br /> (1 Pu) || 15 January 2006 ||{{flagicon|GER}} [[Ruhpolding]]||12.5&nbsp;km pursuit||[[Biathlon World Cup]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| '''[[2006–07 Biathlon World Cup|2006–07]]''' <br /> 1 victories <br /> (1 Sp) || 15 March 2007 ||{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Khanty-Mansiysk]]||10&nbsp;km sprint||[[Biathlon World Cup]]
|-
|}
:''*Results are from UIPMB and IBU races which include the [[Biathlon World Cup]], [[Biathlon World Championships]] and the [[Winter Olympic Games]].''

== References ==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite web | url = http://data.biathlonworld.com/data/archives.aspx?IbuId=BTGER10405198301 | title = IBU Profile of Michael Rösch | publisher = International Biathlon Union | access-date = 2008-01-25 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080204030008/http://data.biathlonworld.com/data/archives.aspx?IbuId=BTGER10405198301 | archive-date = 2008-02-04 }}
{{refend}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.michael-roesch.de/ Official homepage of Michael Rösch]
*{{sports links}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions Biathlon Relay Men}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosch, Michael}}
[[Category:1983 births]]
[[Category:German male biathletes]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Olympic biathletes for Germany]]
[[Category:Olympic biathletes for Belgium]]
[[Category:Biathletes at the 2006 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Biathletes at the 2018 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Germany]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in biathlon]]
[[Category:Biathlon World Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2006 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Belgian male biathletes]]
[[Category:Naturalised citizens of Belgium]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Pirna]]
[[Category:Biathletes from Saxony]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Bezirk Dresden]]
[[Category:21st-century German sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century Belgian sportsmen]]