Greis first competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, finishing 15th and 16th in the 10 km sprint and 12.5 km pursuit events in the biathlon.
Greis won the World Cup in the individual category in 2004-2005, and was a member of the winning 4 x 7.5 km relay team in the 2004 Biathlon World Championships, and took silver in the individual 20 km category at the 2005 World Championships.
At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Greis came into the games heading the World Cup standings and took the first Olympic gold of the games with victory in the individual 20 km ahead of the defending Olympic champion Ole Einar Bjørndalen. He was also a member of the German team that won the 4 x 7.5 km relay.
On February 25, 2006, Greis won the men's 15 km event and became the first person to capture three gold medals at the Turin Olympic Games. (Koreans Jin Sun-Yu and Ahn Hyun Soo became the second and third later on the same day with victories in short track speed skating.)
Greis was named German sportsman of the year, along with fellow biathlete Kati Wilhelm, by journalists.
In the 2006-07 World Cup season, Greis won the Overall and the Sprint competition.
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GREIS Michael
BAILEY Lowell
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