Michael Zachrau comes from Frammersbach in Lower Franconia and started skiing in 2001. He was part of the German junior squad and took part in international junior competitions. His greatest successes include a third place at the German Youth Championships in 2008, several victories in the German Cup, the victory in the team competition at the Nordic Ski Games of the OPA 2010 and third place in the team competition at the European Youth Olympic Festival 2011. In the summer of 2011, he changed due to the Weight loss in ski jumping for skeleton sport.
At the end of 2011, Zachrau won the bronze medal at the German Championships behind Alexander Gassner and Maximilian Graßl . He made his international debut in the 2012/13 European Cup and after finishing 5th in his first start, he finished 3rd in the second race of the season. In January 2013 he won a European Cup race for the first time in Altenberg and at the end of the season he finished fifth in the overall standings. At the German Championship 2013 he was ninth.
In the 2013/14 season Michael Zachrau competed in the European Cup again. He finished in the top seven in seven of eight races of the season, including two thirds, and was fourth overall. At the German championships in 2014 , he finished tenth. At the beginning of the 2014/15 season he started in the Intercontinental Cup, where he achieved positions between four and seven in four races. At the German Championships in 2015 he was seventh. He then switched to the European Cup and finished third there once on the podium. In the last race of the season he made his World Cup debut in Sochi and finished in 15th place. For the 2015/16 season he was able to qualify directly for the World Cup squad and he started the winter with two eighth places. At the end of 2015 he won another bronze medal at the German championships .
Germany
