Katrin Apel is a retired German biathlete. 1.72 m, 61 kg. Apel now resides in Gr�fenroda, and is a member of the SV Eintracht Frankenhain club. Like most German winter sport athletes, Apel is a sport soldier, performing normal soldier duties but released for training and competitions. Apel began her career as a cross country skier; between 1990 and 1994, her best results were third place in the junior World Championships 5 km classic in 1993, and second in the relay also in the junior World Championships, in 1990. However, when Apel failed to qualify for the Olympics in Lillehammer in 1994, she made the decision to switch to biathlon. Apel began biathlon in 1994 in the European Cup, the second division to the World Cup. In Apel's first season in the World Cup, 1995/96, she placed 33rd, but her results improved from then on. In the 1998/99 season she placed 8th, in 1999/00 10th, 2000/01 12th. The 2001/02 season was her best when she finished the season in 5th place. In that season Apel placed 13th in the individual, 4th in the sprint, 4th in the pursuit, and 12th in the mass start. The year after she could only finish a lowly 20th place. 

May 4th, 1973 in Erfurt (Age 51)