Michal Šlesingr

Michal Šlesingr
Full name	Michal Šlesingr
Association	Czech Republic
birthday	3rd February 1983 (age 37)
place of birth	Ústí nad Orlicí , Czechoslovakia
Weight	75 kg
Career
job	Fitness trainer
society	SKP Jablonec
Debut in the World Cup	2002
World Cup victories	2 (1 individual victory)
status	resigned
End of career	March 7, 2020
Medal table
World Cup medals 1 × 1 × 1 × EM medals 0 × 1 × 1 × JWM medals 1 × 4 × 2 × SWM medals 1 × 0 × 0 ×
Biathlon world championships silver 2007 Antholz sprint bronze 2007 Antholz singles gold 2015 Kontiolahti Mixed relay  European biathlon championships silver 2008 Nové Město na Moravě singles bronze 2008 Nové Město na Moravě sprint bronze 2008 Nové Město na Moravě Season  Biathlon Junior World Championships gold 2002 Ridnaun persecution silver 2002 Ridnaun Season bronze 2002 Ridnaun bronze silver 2003 Kościelisko persecution silver 2003 Kościelisko sprint bronze 2003 Kościelisko Season silver 2004 Haute Maurienne Season  Summer biathlon world championships gold 2005 Munio Season
World Cup balance
Overall World Cup	8. ( 2014/15 )
Individual World Cup	4. ( 2006/07 , 2014/15)
Sprint World Cup	8. (2014/15)
Pursuit World Cup	9th ( 2010/11 )
Mass start world cup	6. (2014/15)
Podium placements 1. 2. 3. singles 0 1 2 sprint 0 3 1 persecution 0 0 2 Mass start 1 0 2 Season 1 3 3
last change: end of career

Michal Šlesingr ^{? / i} (bornFebruary 3, 1983inÚstí nad Orlicí) is a formerCzech biathlete.

Career

Michal Šlesingr was trained by Vlastimil Vávra and started for SKP Jablonec . He started biathlon in 1995 .

Beginnings

Šlesingr contested his first international race at the Junior World Championships 2000 in Hochfilzen . In the sprint he was 79th and did not qualify for the pursuit, with the relay he reached 14th place. He also took part in the Junior World Championships in the following year , but only started in the individual and finished 26th.

The following season , Šlesingr competed in the World Cup for the first time. First in Antholz with the relay and then in Lahti in the sprint. He was 13th in the relay and 86th in the sprint. At this year's Junior World Championships in Ridnaun , he also won his first medals. After a third place in the sprint, he won the pursuit and with the relay he won the silver medal. In the individual, he finished fourth.

Establishment among the world's best (season 2002/03 to 2004/05)

From then on, Šlesingr was used again and again in the World Cup . In the 2002/03 season he went to a total of seven World Cup races and at the World Championships. At the World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk he was 50th in the sprint and improved to 39th in the pursuit. He then won his first World Cup points as 27th in the individual. At the Junior World Championships he won silver in sprint and pursuit and bronze in relay.

In the following 2003/04 season , the number of stakes Šlesingrs doubled in the World Cup. Until the World Championships, however, he did not make it into the top 30 and thus into the area of ​​World Cup points. Before the world championships Šlesingr played his last junior world championships but could only win the silver medal with the relay, his best individual result was a fourth place in the sprint. The world championships in Oberhof started Šlesingr with a 41st place in the sprint and a 44th place in the pursuit. In the individual, he again achieved the points and his best result so far with a 22nd place. In the following races he was once again in the top 30, but with his remaining results he was around 40th.

Since the 2004/05 season he has been a permanent member of the "World Cup circuit". The season began Šlesingr but with results beyond 50th place. They only got better in the new year. The first individual race of the new year was a sprint. Thanks to faultless shooting, he was able to reach the top ten for the first time with a tenth place. In the following pursuit he was then 13th. In Antholz he just missed another World Cup points with two 31st places, but in the pursuit he improved by 20 places and achieved his second-best result with an eleventh place. The World Championships in Hochfilzen started Šlesingr with a 59th place in the sprint. In the pursuit he improved by 40 places and was 18th. In the individual, he was able to improve his previous best performance by one place with a ninth place. With his good results at the World Championships, he also qualified for his first mass start, which he finished in 21st. At the season finale in Khanty-Mansiysk he came again twice in the points and missed the podium by just two seconds at the first Mixed Relay World Championship together with Kateřina Holubcová , Irena Česneková and Roman Dostál . In the overall standings, Šlesingr finished this season in 37th place. In individual and pursuit he was 27th.

First Olympic Games and World Cup victory (2005/06 to 2008/09 season)

The first Olympic season began for Michal Šlesingr with an 80th place at the start in Östersund . In Hochfilzen he achieved two very good results with a 14th and a 15th place. With a seventh place in the individual in Brezno , he achieved a new career record. After a 40th place in the sprint, he was also among the top 20 in the pursuit. In Oberhof, Ruhpolding and Antholz he also mostly came in the points and started in two mass starts, qualifying for the first time beyond his overall World Cup placement.

At the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin , he took part in four out of five races, but did not achieve a good result apart from sixth place with the team . His best result was a 32nd place in the pursuit . In the following competitions on the Pokljuka , he did not get beyond a 32nd place. Only in Kontiolahti did he regain the points with a 14th place in the mass start. At the World Cup final in Oslo , he narrowly missed the top ten with places eleven and twelve. Šlesingr finished the overall ranking in 29th place. He was also able to improve mostly in the discipline rankings. In the individual he was eleventh, in the sprint 37, in the mass start 28th. Only in the pursuit he reached 27th place, as in the previous year.

In the 2006/07 season started Šlesingr with his best result so far. With only one penalty minute, he reached fourth place in the individual. However, he was unable to build on this good result in the following races. Up to the competitions in Ruhpolding he only got into the points twice, in Ruhpolding he was then able to qualify for the first mass start of the season, which he finished seventh. In the last competitions before the World Championships on the Pokljuka, he was always among the top 30 athletes.

At the 2007 World Championships in Antholz, he won the silver medal in the sprint behind Ole Einar Bjørndalen . In the pursuit he just missed his second medal as fourth, which he then won in the individual as third. With the relay he was fifth and in the mass start. These world championships are the best of his entire career. In the following races of the season he always reached the points and came in eighth. Šlesingr finished the season as 16th in the world. With a fourth place in the individual ranking, he achieved his best career result there. He was 28th in the sprint, 20th in the pursuit and 17th in the mass start.

The season opener of the 2007/08 season in Kontiolahti denied Šlesingr with a continuous improvement in his results, at the end of which was a 13th place in the pursuit. In the following races up to the World Championships, he mostly won World Cup points, but only came in the top ten in one race. This year's world championships in Östersund were less successful than those of the previous season. in the sprint he was sixth, in the pursuit fifth, in the individual tenth and in the mass start it was only enough for 26th place after five penalties. After these world championships he finished the mass start in Khanty-Mansiysk at the same time as Daniel Graf behind Tomasz Sikora . Since Graf was ahead in the photo finish, Šlesingr was only third and achieved his first podium. At the World Cup final in Oslo he broke off the pursuit after finishing 22nd in the sprint. The last race of the season, the mass start, he won in the photo finish ahead of Nikolai Kruglow . With that he achieved his only World Cup victory. In the overall standings, Šlesingr fell three places and was 19. In the individual standings, he was 19. In the sprint and pursuit evaluation, he improved by three places and reached places 25 and 14. In the pursuit evaluation, he was like in the preseason 20.

The 2008/2009 season started Šlesingr with results beyond the square 40. Only in Hochfilzen he won with the places 32 and 30, his first World Cup points. This was possible because the points system had been changed so that the best 40 athletes now win points. In Oberhof just missed another podium with a fourth place in the sprint. But then always came in the points until the end of the season and reached three more top ten placements. He also took part in the World Championships again, but did not get there beyond a 39th place in the pursuit. He finished the season 20th in the world. In the pursuit classification he achieved his best result so far with a tenth place, he was also able to improve in the sprint classification and finished 17th. This season Michal Šlesingr was one of the most accurate athletes in the Biathlon World Cup. In the season statistics of the best shooters, he is second. At the Czech Biathlon Championships in 2009 , he won the sprint and pursuit titles.

Second Olympic Games (2009/10 to 2012/13 season)

Michal Šlesingr (Persecution in Kontiolahti, 2012)

The 2009/10 season began with little success for Michal Šlesingr. In the whole of 2009 he did not get past a 30th place. It was only in Antholz that he finished ninth in the individual and was thus among the top ten. After this sense of achievement, the Winter Olympics were on. Michal Šlesingr took part in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver . His best results were a 16th place in the mass start and a 17th place in the individual . With the relay , he finished 7th. After the Olympic Games, he was once again among the top ten, but, apart from one race, always stayed in the points. After this mixed season it was only enough for Šlesingr to finish 29th overall. The last time he was so bad was in the last Olympic season. In the individual ranking he was able to achieve a very good seventh place.

The following season was much more successful for Šlesingr. He started with seventh place in the first race of the season. Most of the remaining races in 2010 were among the 40 best biathletes. In Oberhof he reached his first relay podium with Zdeněk Vítek , Jaroslav Soukup and Ondřej Moravec with a second place. With an error-free shooting, he finished third in the sprint and reached the podium again. He finished the successful competitions in Oberhof with an eighth place. In Fort Kent he reached the podium again, Šlesingr finished second, in the pursuit he narrowly missed the podium in fourth. In the world championships in Khanty-Mansiysk he started with a twelfth place in the sprint. He finished eighth in the persecution and tenth individually. With six penalties it was only enough for 26th place in the mass start. The final in Oslo achieved two further good results with 12th and 15th place. In the overall ranking, thanks to continuous results, he achieved his best result to date with a ninth place. He finished eleventh in the individual and sprint standings, ninth in the pursuit standings and twelfth in the mass start standings.

In his eleventh World Cup season , Šlesingr started second in the singles in Östersund behind Martin Fourcade . Since this was the first race of the season, he was also second in the overall World Cup, and he never achieved a better placement. With an eighth place in the following sprint, he was able to defend this position, only in the third race of the season did he fall back to fourth place in the overall standings. In Hochfilzen, too, he initially achieved good results. With a 64th place in the second sprint, he then missed the pursuit. Together with Veronika Vítková , Gabriela Soukalová and Ondřej Moravec he finished second in the mixed relay race. This was the first podium for a Czech mixed relay in the World Cup. Between the turn of the year and the world championships he achieved three more top ten results and, with the exception of one race, always stayed in the points. The world championships took place in Ruhpolding this year. His best result was a ninth place in the individual. At the end of the season he reached two thirteenth and one sixth place. He was tenth overall. In the individual ranking he came seventh for the second time. In the other three disciplines, he was among the top twenty.

The 2012/13 season also began for Šlesingr with a podium finish. The mixed relay was third, with the same line-up as in the last podium. In the individual races in Östersund he then started with a 31st place. It was only at the third stop on the Pokljuka that he made it into the top twenty for the first time and in Oberhof he finished tenth in the pursuit and achieved his first top ten result of the season. The world championships in his home country were not crowned with success for Šlesingr because he was weakened by illness. After finishing 51st in the sprint, he skipped the chase. In the individual it was only enough for 30th place with two penalty minutes. Because of these bad results, he could not qualify for the mass start either. In the rest of the season he initially achieved results around 20th place. Then showed his best performance of the season at the end of the season. He was eighth in the sprint and then crossed the finish line at the same time as Martin Fourcade in the pursuit and came third. In the overall standings, he got significantly worse and came in 21st.

Third Olympic Games and World Champion (2013/14 to 2016/17 season)

Michal Šlesingr (in Nové Město, 2015)

Michal Šlesingr missed the start of the 2013/14 season due to illness, only in Oberhof did he get back into the World Cup. After a twelfth place in the sprint, he finished fifth in the pursuit and achieved his first top ten result of the season in his second race. But he was unable to build on this performance until the Olympic Games. The Winter Olympics were this time in Sochi instead. His best result was a 31st place in the sprint . He had to skip the pursuit and ended his season prematurely after the games.

The 2014/15 season completed Šlesingr then fully. In Östersund this started with a third place in the individual and a fourth place in the sprint. This was the second time in his career that he reached second place in the overall standings, but could not hold it after a 19th place in the pursuit. The remaining races up to the turn of the year were mixed and without a top ten result. After the turn of the year he again reached the top ten and in Ruhpolding with a third place in the mass start the podium. There were two top ten results before the World Championships. The world championships took place in Kontiolahti this year . This started with his only world championship title. Together with Vítková, Soukalová and Moravec, he won the gold medal in the mixed relay competition before France and Norway. The individual races also went well for Šlesingr, albeit without a medal. He was seventh in the sprint, fourth in the pursuit, fourteenth in the individual and fifth in the mass start. Another top ten place was added at the end of the season. Overall, the season was the best of his entire career. In the overall standings, he achieved his best result with eighth place. He also achieved his best career results in the sprint and mass start rankings with ninth and sixth place. In the individual ranking, she was fourth for the second time.

Šlesingr started the next season with a third place in the mixed relay race. In the individual races, however, he did not get above a twentieth place until 2016. After an eighth place in the sprint, he finished third in the pursuit in Ruhpolding. By the end of the season there were only two top ten results. At the World Championships in Oslo , the title defense in the mixed relay race with a sixth place failed. In the individual races he did not get past twelfth place either. In the overall standings he dropped ten places to 18th place. In the pursuit ranking he was able to reach eleventh place.

The 2016/17 season was similar for Šlesingr to the previous one. He made it into the top ten three times. For the first time in Oberhof. He finished second in the sprint and seventh in the pursuit. At the World Championships he stayed in the sprint with a 42nd place without points and his best result was a 13th place in the mass start. In the last race of the season he again reached the top ten with a sixth place. Compared to the previous season, he fell two places in the overall standings and came in 22nd.

Fourth Olympic Games and end of career (2017/18 to 2019/20 season)

The 2017/18 season began for Michal Šlesingr with results mostly beyond 30th place. It wasn't until Ruhpolding that he made it into the top ten. In Ruhpolding he finished eighth both in the individual and in the mass start. These remained his only top ten results. The Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang were the fourth of his career for Šlesingr. However, even those with the worst perform. In the sprint he was 69th and did not qualify for the pursuit and in the individual he was 45. Due to his poor preliminary performance, he was also not qualified for the mass start. As in 2014, he ended the season prematurely after the Winter Games.

The following start of the season and preparation for Šlesingr was determined by illnesses and back problems. At 35 he was one of the oldest biathletes in the field. In the first half of the season he had to cancel many starts at short notice and never got into the points. After the turn of the year he started in the IBU Cup . He then took part in the competitions in North America and reached 19th place in the sprint, but then left the chase out again. At the World Championships in Östersund, he started in a single race for the first time. In the individual he was 35th, the men's relay reached fourth place with him. With a 97th place in the sprint at the end of the season, he missed the pursuit. With only two results within the points he was ranked 71 in the world.

In his last season , Šlesingr could only rarely reach the points and missed the pursuit several times due to poor placement. At the World Championships , he started again only in the individual and in the relay. With seven penalty minutes, however, he was far behind in the individual as 89th. The season was only thirteenth. He contested his last two races in his home country in Nové Město na Moravě but did not come among the best races there. After the relay race, he ended his career.

statistics

World Cup victories

All victories at biathlon world cups, listed separately according to individual and relay races. The columns can be sorted by clicking the symbol in the table header.

Single race	Relay race
No. date place discipline 1. March 16, 2008  Oslo Mass start	No. date place discipline 1. 5th March 2015  Kontiolahti Mixed relay ( WM ) 1 1with Veronika Vítková , Gabriela Soukalová and Ondřej Moravec

Biathlon World Cup placements

The table shows all placements (depending on the year, including the Olympic Games and World Championships).

• 1st - 3rd Place: Number of podium placements
• Top 10: Number of placements in the top ten (including podium)
• Points ranks: Number of placements within the point ranks (including podium and top 10)
• Starts: Number of races run in the respective discipline
• Relay: including mixed relays

placement	singles	sprint	persecution	Mass start	Season	total
1st place				1	1	2
2nd place	1	3			3	7th
3rd place	2	1	2	2	3	10
Top 10	13	17th	20th	11	70	131
Scoring	38	81	71	49	91	330
Starts	52	136	88	49	91	416
Status: end of career

winter Olympics

winter Olympics		singles	sprint	persecution	Mass start	Season	Mixed relay
year	place
2006	Turin	45.	55.	32.	-	6th
2010	Vancouver	17th	18th	29	16.	7th
2014	Sochi	56.	31.	DNS	-	-	-
2018	Pyeongchang	45.	69.	-	-	7th	-

World championships

World championships		singles	sprint	persecution	Mass start	Season	Mixed relay	Single mixed relay
year	place
2003	Khanty-Mansiysk	27.	50.	39.	-	6th	-
2004	Oberhof	22nd	41.	44.	-	8th.	-
2005	Hochfilzen Khanty-Mansiysk	9.	59.	18th	21st	11.	4th
2007	Antholz	3.	2.	4th	20th	5.	-
2008	Ostersund	10.	6th	5.	26th	7th	-
2009	Pyeongchang	38.	32.	19th	-	10.	-
2010	Khanty-Mansiysk						7th
2011	Khanty-Mansiysk	12.	12.	8th.	26th	10.	-
2012	Ruhpolding	6th	25th	29	12.	9.	8th.
2013	Nové Město	30th	51.	DNS	-	6th	-
2015	Kontiolahti	14th	7th	4th	5.	6th	1.
2016	Oslo	20th	15th	12.	17th	5.	6th
2017	Hochfilzen	18th	42.	30th	13.	10.	-
2019	Ostersund	35.	-	-	-	4th	-	-
2020	Antholz	89.	-	-	-	13.	-	-

Junior World Championships

World championships		singles	sprint	persecution	Season
year	place
2000	Hochfilzen	-	79.	-	14th
2001	Khanty-Mansiysk	26th	-	-	-
2002	Ridanna	4th	3.	1.	2.
2003	Kościelisko	22nd	2.	2.	3.
2004	Haute Maurienne	12.	4th	11.	2.

Web links

Commons : Michal Šlesingr  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Michal Šlesingr in the IBU database (English)
• Michal Šlesingr's website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Hit statistics for the IBU season 2008/2009. Retrieved April 6, 2014 . 
2. ↑ Men's World Cup Total Score Intermediate After 3 Competitions. (PDF) Retrieved March 9, 2020 . 
3. ↑ Biatlonová změna: do smíšené štafety nastoupí Soukup, Šlesingr per nemocný. Retrieved March 9, 2020 . 
4. ↑ Moravec na "bednu" nedosáhl, závod na 20 km suverénně ovládl Fourcade. Retrieved March 9, 2020 . 
5. ↑ Šlesingr cítí, že biatlonový konec je blízko: Nejvíc trpí ego. Retrieved March 9, 2020 . 
6. ↑ Šlesingr se rozloučil čistou položkou, štafeta ale dojela dvanáctá. Retrieved March 9, 2020 .