Kati Wilhelm: Germany’s most successful biathlete helps with motivation and leadership

Kati Wilhelm’s trademark is definitely not only her red hair, but at the forefront most definitely her charming ambition. Kati Wilhelm wants to win, and to that end she has pretty much brought everything out of herself in her career as the most successful German biathlete of the last century – without ever burning out. She has an intrinsic motivation, perhaps you could also call it joie de vivre, and so there are probably few more authentic advisors for approaching one’s own path through hard work, but also with this portion of joy.

Kati Wilhelm, now 45, has won gold three times at the Olympic Games, is a five-time world champion, overall World Cup winner and has won a total of 17 individual races. Hardly any other athlete comes close to her successes.

Kati Wilhelm: Lectures on motivation and leadership

Then in 2010, the exceptional athlete known in Germany as “Gold-Kati” ended her career on the slopes. She then opened a restaurant in her hometown of Steinbach-Hallenberg in Thuringia in 2014, true to the motto “Heimat tastes like this.” The restaurant is called Heimatlon and proves to be a small, fine restaurant with loving and original furnishings, cozy, homey with an absolute feel-good atmosphere, which is what Kati Wilhelm wanted. And she has succeeded, of course. There are crispy original pancakes with sourdough from the wood-fired oven in the dining room, local tasty soups and stews, grandma’s best cakes, seasonal ice creams, delicious homemade lemonades and healthy green smoothies. Kati Wilhelm is not too shy to serve, she also does the dishes, she says with a laugh. Helping out, that’s Kati’s thing. She says,

“Where Kati Wilhelm is on it, Kati Wilhelm should be in it.”

In addition to her heart’s project Heimatlon, Kati Wilhelm also remains true to the biathlon world, albeit in a different way than before. She alternates with Magdalena Neuner as Germany’s national TV station ARD’s expert moderator for broadcasts of the biathlon tournaments. Sometimes, she muses, she is a little sad not to be active herself anymore. “On the other hand, of course, it’s also nice to see that you yourself have contributed to biathlon becoming so immensely popular.”

As a speaker, she focuses on the topics of leadership and motivation and can be booked as both an interview guest and speaker. Kati gives her talks in German.

Otherwise, she is a happy mother of two children, who keep her busy in addition to her various other activities.

She is also involved with the “Pink Ribbon” organization, which aims to promote the early detection of breast cancer, as well as “Die bunten Schafe e.V.2”, an association that supports single parents, and the Tambach-Dietharz children’s hospice.

With the annual “Kati Nachwuchs Camp powered by Knauf” she supports the promotion of young talent in the biathlon.

Kati Wilhelm is probably one of the most successful, authentic and down-to-earth exceptional personalities of our time. Experiencing her live is an enrichment.