Martin Fourcade

Martin Fourcade is a French biathlete. Two-time winner of the 2014 Olympics, winner of 3 gold medals at the 2018 Olympic Games, 11-time world champion, the first 7-time World Cup winner in biathlon history and author of many absolute records in this sport.

Martin Fourcade was born in the fall of 1988 in the French district of Céret. The athlete's dark skin has repeatedly raised questions about nationality, until the results of a study of the family tree of the family appeared on the Internet. The biathlete's ancestors are French for dozens of generations. Among them are mayors of settlements, alpine arrows, winemakers.

As is often the case with professional athletes, the future Olympic champion grew up in a family where the sport was appreciated and respected. Parents of Martin and his brother Simon went in for cross-country skiing at an amateur level. Despite this, the first sports section of Simon and Martin was the hockey one.

And who knows, perhaps the great biathlete would never have appeared, if not for the distance from the ice hall to the house of the Fourcade family. In an interview, the athlete's father jokingly said that he simply did not have time to take the children to training, so he first sent the older, and then the younger, to the ski section.

Simon quickly got bored of skiing, and he switched to biathlon. In an effort to keep up with his older brother, he took a sporting rifle in his hands and Martin. So a series of accidents caused the appearance in professional sports of Martin Fourcade, the world biathlon star. Although the biathlete himself did not hide that the sporting successes of the family influenced his career.

The sports biography of Martin Fourcade began in 2002, and already in 2006 the guy became a member of the French biathlon team. In 2007, the junior world championship presented Martin with a bronze medal, although subsequently Fourcade did not soon have to climb the podium.

The ascent of one great French biathlete to the sports Olympus coincided with the end of the career of another famous representative of France - Raphael Poiret. Martin did not call Raphael his idol and has already surpassed the achievements of the famous compatriot, demonstrating the continuity of generations in French biathlon.

In 2017, Poiret said that Fourcade has reached a maximum and in the near future, the results will decline. But if the athlete continues to compete, then only with himself. And to become famous, in addition to victories, you need to create a story and a distinctive image. In this, Martin succeeded, legends are made about his megalomania and posturing.

According to Rafael, the successor has achieved wild popularity thanks to Instagram and Facebook, while his generation has not heard of social networks.

In the first World Cup, Martin took part in 2008 (stage in Oslo), in the same year he ended his career and Poiret. By the way, the first race was extremely unsuccessful for the future champion - Fourcade came to the finish line in the top seven. In the future, getting into the top 30 became an unattainable goal for him, and many considered the silver in the mass start at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics to be a sensation.

However, there is a saying that biathlon does not tolerate fuss, and the sport itself is called "age". Sochi Olympic champion Ole Einar Bjoerndalen is proof of this. With these factors in mind, Fourcade was planning a long career.

In the 2010-2011 season, they started talking seriously about the new star of the French national team. This was facilitated by the final 3rd place according to the results of the World Cup, several "golden pedestals", one of which was won in the crown style of Bjoerndalen. Even having missed 3 times, Fourcade managed to bypass competitors on the track. Even then, they began to compare the biathlete, albeit cautiously, with the great Norwegian. In 2012, Fourcade won the overall World Cup and won 2 Small Crystal Globes in sprints and pursuit races.

3 gold medals and a silver medal at the World Championship finally secured the status of a biathlon superstar for the Frenchman. In 2013, Fourcade demonstrated remarkable stability, receiving the "Large Crystal Globe" and another "Small Crystal Globe". In addition, the athlete significantly improved his shooting, gained additional experience. Therefore, even before the start of the Olympic Games in Sochi, Fourcade was announced in advance as the main favorite of the tournament.

The Sochi Olympics became the finest hour of the Frenchman, Martin won the pursuit (12.5 km) and the individual race (20 km). After this competition, Fourcade was rightfully named the new king of biathlon, second only to the Emperor in skill (nickname of Ole Einar Bjoerndalen).

From 3 to 13 March 2016, the first stage of the Biathlon World Championship took place in Holmenkollen, Norway. Fourcade helped the French national team win gold in the mixed relay. The second stage in Pokljuka (Slovenia) brought the biathlete 3 gold medals, and at the tournament held on the ski track in the town of Nove Mesto (Czech Republic), the Frenchman also showed good results, winning 1st place in the overall standings of the World Cup.

2016, as the athlete himself stated, was the most successful in his career. The biathlete managed to get hold of the entire collection of globes, which already happened in 2013.

In March 2017, Martin won the sprint race at the Biathlon World Cup, which took place in Kontiolahti, Finland. Thus, the Frenchman broke the record for the number of victories in one season for the Norwegian Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, setting a record for the number of triumphs at the World Cup stages.

As the fans of the athlete noticed, Martin easily part with the awards of this tournament and keeps only the medals of the Olympics and world championships. After the sprint in Khanty-Mansiysk in March 2015, the biathlete presented a medal of the highest standard to schoolgirl Dasha. After 2 years, he parted with the golden "pancake" won at home in Annecy, in the mass start.

In 2018, little Veronica was lucky in Finland. As the girl's father later recalled, before the start of the race, the daughter whispered that maybe this time the Frenchman would not forget about the tradition. And when it happened, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The family later thanked the athlete on Facebook.

Having won in Finland, Fourcade in an interview with the media said that he plans to end his professional career in 2018.

The biathlete made a similar statement after participating in the World Cup, which was held in the Norwegian Holmenkollen. It should be noted that Martin's next performance was not without scandals. The Frenchman was accused of breaking the rules. In Norway, Fourcade came to the first firing line, starting to prepare for shooting, but realized that his clips were empty. The coach provided the athlete with ammunition, which is prohibited by the rules. In the end, the Frenchman won the race.

In this case, the French biathlete escaped disqualification. Representatives of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) reacted to the incident, stating that Fourcade did not violate the rules, as he acted according to the situation.

However, other participants in the competition called the incident a bias on the part of an international organization that does not notice the actions of individual biathletes.

Many recalled the behavior of Martin Fourcade at the World Championships in Hochfilzen, Austria. In February 2017, the Frenchman cut off the Russian biathlete Alexander Loginov when changing the stage. Fourcade's maneuvers caused the Russian to fall on the ski track. This moment was clearly recorded on video.

Before the awards ceremony, Russian biathletes refused to shake hands with Fourcade, which is why the Frenchman defiantly left the podium. Users of Instagram and other social networks then violently reacted to Fourcade's actions, condemning him for such behavior. Many biathlon fans and enthusiasts said they had lost all respect for the Frenchman.

Russian biathlete Anton Shipulin, who participated in the race, noted at a press conference that such an attitude of Martin Fourcade to Alexander Loginov is a negative perception of the entire team from the Russian Federation.

The personal life of Martin Fourcade is always in the spotlight of the press. More than once in the media it was reported about the numerous novels of the Frenchman, as well as about the engagement with one of the famous biathletes. Martin himself once jokingly admitted that Marie Dorin-Habert, a mixed relay partner, was "like a wife to him." This was the reason for the rumors about the relationship between the athletes.

Fourcade rarely gives unambiguous answers to journalists' questions. Once, with his usual irony, a Frenchman commented on his victories. When asked what underlies the achievements, the biathlete replied:

It is known that for many years the life of Martin Fourcade is associated with the French teacher Helene Usabiega. The couple met in their teens at a competition - the girl also went skiing. Then they talked at a distance, met when the athlete turned 17, but then Helen left to study. However, young people never "interrupted that which tied together."

The common-law wife of Martin Fourcade on September 10, 2015 gave him a daughter, Manon. In March 2017, the second daughter Ines was born. Helen supports her chosen one, helps in competitions.

The biathlete calls the pursuit of sports at a professional level a kind of reason for self-development, and considers an enhanced training program to be useful self-torture. Oddly enough, among the idols of Martin Fourcade there is not a single biathlete, but the Moroccan runner Hisham el-Guerrouge and the swimmer from the USA Michael Phelps are examples of performance for the Frenchman.

Perhaps, Martin has reserved the place of the greatest biathlete for himself. It is known that Fourcade is one of the most famous skiers and biathletes who do not take drugs "strictly prescribed by a doctor", which in a sense are permitted doping.

Recall that in Vancouver, at the classic distance of 30 kilometers, the top five consisted entirely of athletes who needed medication, and many people associate Bjoerndalen's longevity on the track with ephedrine, a drug that is allowed in acceptable doses. Martin Fourcade has repeatedly stated that he is a supporter of "pure" struggle.

For those who are looking for an answer to the question of how to become the king of biathlon, Martin at the end of 2017 released the book "My Dream of Gold and Snow". In addition to sports secrets, readers have learned from the pages of knowledge about how to make money on victories. Fourcade put on a commercial track relations with the media, communication with sponsors. When the first medals went, the biathlete already knew what language to speak with brand representatives. Now the management of financial flows is entrusted to the company bearing the name of the champion.

A tall handsome man with relief muscles (Martin's height is 185 cm, weight - 75 kg) is a tasty object for advertisers. However, the Frenchman is more important not the fee, but the image and form of cooperation. Fourcade has said more than once that he will not undertake to advertise what he does not like. Therefore, he does not have an agent, but only a lawyer who will not embarrass the client by being tempted by money.

At the Olympics in Pyeongchang, Martin carried the flag of the French national team. In the fight for medals, the biathlete had to worry. The main rival of Fourcade that season was the Norwegian Johannes Boe. In face-to-face battles on the track, the athlete won 3 gold, and in the mass start, the owner of the medal was determined only by the results of the photo finish.

At the World Cup that lasted after the Games, Fourcade was hampered by an intestinal infection and a broken stick. And yet he set a biathlon record: in 22 races in 2017-2018, in which the athlete participated, each ended with a prize on the podium.

The beginning of the new season for Martin was spoiled by the decision of the French government to levy a tax on the prize money earned by athletes at the Olympics in South Korea. The prize for French athletes was € 50,000 for gold, € 20,000 for silver and € 13,000 for bronze.

Commander of the Order of Merit Commander of the Order of the Legion of Honor

Olympic victories:

2014 - Sochi (Russia), 12.5 km pursuit, 2014 - Sochi (Russia), individual 20 km 2018 - Pyeongchang, 15 km mass start 2018 - Pyeongchang, mixed relay 2018 - Pyeongchang, 12.5 km pursuit

World Championship and World Cup victories

2011 - Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia), 12.5 km pursuit 2012 - Ruhpolding (Germany), 10 km sprint 2012 - Ruhpolding (Germany), 12.5 km pursuit 2012 - Ruhpolding (Germany), 15 km mass start 2013 - Nove Mesto (Czech Republic), individual 20 km 2015 - Kontiolahti (Finland), individual 20 km 2016 - Holmenkollen (Norway), mixed relay 2016 - Holmenkollen (Norway), 10 km sprint 2016 - Holmenkollen (Norway), 12.5 km pursuit 2016 - Holmenkollen (Norway), individual 20 km 2017 - Hochfilzen (Austria), 12.5 km pursuit 2018 - Holmenkollen (Norway), 12.5 km pursuit 2018 - Tyumen, 10 km sprint 2018 - Tyumen, 12.5 km pursuit

Martin Fourcade 's estimated Net Worth, Salary, Income, Cars, Lifestyles & many more details have been updated below.

Let's check, How Rich is Martin Fourcade in 2020 ?

Martin Fourcade Net Worth 2021

Martin Fourcade 's revenue is $ 1.2M in 2021. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Martin Fourcade and could vary in the range between $ 853.8K - $ 1.5M.

Martin Fourcade Net Worth 2020

Martin Fourcade 's revenue is $1.7M in 2020. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Martin Fourcade and could vary in the range between $843.3K - $1.6M.

Martin Fourcade Net Worth 2019

Martin Fourcade 's revenue is $1.2M in 2019. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Martin Fourcade and could vary in the range between $801.3K - $1.2M.

Martin Fourcade Net Worth 2018

Martin Fourcade 's revenue is $1.2M in 2018. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Martin Fourcade and could vary in the range between $593.8K - $1.6M.

Martin Fourcade Net Worth 2017

Martin Fourcade 's revenue is $2M in 2017. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Martin Fourcade and could vary in the range between $545.2K - $1.6M.

Martin Fourcade Net Worth 2016

Martin Fourcade 's revenue is $1.3M in 2016. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Martin Fourcade and could vary in the range between $944.8K - $1.6M.

Martin Fourcade Net Worth 2015

Martin Fourcade 's revenue is $1.2M in 2015. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Martin Fourcade and could vary in the range between $866K - $1.4M.

It is an overall forecast for the net worth of Martin Fourcade. The evaluation covers the latest 5 years and an approximation for next year. See above to learn how much money does Martin Fourcade makes a year.

The range above shows an estimation based on evaluation generated by public information about sponsorships or other sources found on the internet. It's summarized data from Martin Fourcade's projects existing in AidWiki's repository. It's an approximation of the revenue compiled by AidWiki and may not correspond with the real amount.