In the world there are a large number of sports, but if you separate the summer and winter types, then the most popular among the summer ones will be football, and winter - undoubtedly biathlon.
Biathlon enthusiasts are happy to watch the ups and downs of the struggle on the track, sometimes the winner is determined only after firing at the lines or on the last centimeters of the race. No wonder this sport is gradually “crowding out” skiing and becoming the most popular winter sport.
In the list of biathletes of the last 20 years, such as Michael Grice, Rafael Poiret, Martin Fourcade, Emil Hegle Svendsen, Be brothers, the first place is rightfully given to the outstanding Norwegian athlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen. He is often called the "King of Biathlon." It will be discussed in the article.
Biathlete Bjoerndalen: biography
The future champion and biathlon “King” Ole Einar Bjoerndalen was born 01/27/1974 in the Norwegian city of Drammen. The childhood passed in the city of Simostrande. Parents were farming, they had five children, three sons (Ole Einar - middle) and two daughters. Zodiac sign is Aquarius, in the eastern horoscope is Tiger.
In childhood, the future champion spent more time not studying, but playing sports in sections. He was fond of football, cycling, athletics, javelin throwing. He achieved good results in the race for 3,000 meters. But then, at the age of 10, he decided to follow in the footsteps of Doug's older brother, who was already involved in biathlon.
Ole Einar already then differed from his peers in fast skiing and was immediately noted by the coaches who sent the guy to study at the Sports Academy of Norway. He is a member of the Norwegian biathlon team from 1992 to the present.
How old is a biathlete? Björndalen does not need to be asked about this, since he does not like to talk about personal matters. But it is easy to count that at present Ole Einar is 42 years old. The athlete weighs 65 kg with a height of 179 cm. Besides Norwegian, he knows three more languages: Italian, English and German.
Sports career
In the 90s, biathlete Bjoerndalen, as a member of the Norwegian junior team, performs at various biathlon competitions and becomes a three-time champion at the World Championships in Ruhpolding (1993). Based on such successes, he was invited to the national team of the country. His debut season was 1992/1993, which was marked by the athlete's performances at top-level competitions (World Cup and the Olympics in Lillehammer). 7th place is the best result.
The first podiums came in the 1994/1995 season, where Ole Einar climbed to second place and twice to third place. As part of the relay team finished first. The Small Crystal World Cup (MXM) (sprint) was recorded on the asset. He became the fourth biathlete on the basis of the World Cup standings.
The first personal victory in the 20-kilometer individual race came in the next season. In addition, 1995/1996. gave the athlete three more awards (2 silver and bronze) at the stages of the World Cup.
The 1996/1997 season was quite successful, when 13 medals were added to the biathlete's piggy bank, of which bronze and silver were added to the World Cup. According to the results of this period, he became the second biathlete in the world and received the MKHKM in the sprint race offsets.
The rise of the “King of Biathlon” took place the following season - Olympic gold, two world cups (in the overall classification and for the sprint).
The seasons 1998-2001 were quite successful for the biathlete. The numbers indicate this: 45 prizes, 2 place in the overall standings and 3 MKHKM.
In the following seasons of 2002-2016, the biathlete Bjoerndalen is at the top of fame. He is already perceived as a favorite, as the leader of his team, despite the death of his parents, constant injuries and divorce from his wife. Over the years, it was he who became the “King of biathlon”.
Participating in biathlon competitions, Ole Einar proved that he can successfully perform in cross-country skiing at different distances in a free style. For all the time he took part in 17 competitions at the Olympic Games, World Championships and the stages of the World Cup. At the same time he personally took one gold and two silver, and as part of the relay team - silver and bronze medals.
Biathlete Awards
U. Bjoerndalen is the most titled athlete in the history of biathlon. So, he won 13 medals at the Olympics , of which 8 were gold; at the World Championships he won 20 first places; at the stages of the World Cup 95 times rose to first place. He also won the Big Crystal Cup 6 times following the standings of the World Cup stages.
Outstanding Achievements
At the Olympics in Nagano (1998), U. Bjoerndalen won two consecutive sprint races (the results of the first were canceled due to weather conditions).
For two seasons, 1999-2001, Ole Einar climbed the podium 34 times, of which 13 in the individual standings and 4 in team races.
An unbeatable and fantastic record remains behind Ole Einar: in a row 10 times climbed the steps of the podium, 8 of them 8 times to the first position (seasons 2005-2007)!
At the Olympics in Salt Lake City-2002 he conquered all four peaks of biathlon, became the absolute and only Olympic champion in this sport on the planet.
At 40, the great Norwegian biathlete Bjoerndalen won two victories (sprint and mixed relay) at the Olympic Games in Sochi - 2014.
According to the results of the Sochi 2014 Olympics, Bjoerndalen was named one of the best athletes in the Olympics. In addition, he was officially elected to the IOC Commission.
Personal life
05/27/2006 Ole married a biathlete from Belgium Natalie Santer, they lived together for 6 years, there were no children.
2016 was a year of change in the personal life of an athlete. At the beginning of the year, they talked “behind the scenes” about the warm relations between Bjoerndalen and Daria Domracheva; back in Sochi (2014), athletes were often seen together. Daria is a three-time Olympic champion in Sochi-2104 and stands for the biathlon team of Belarus. 07/17/2016 biathletes Bjoerndalen and Domracheva got married, their wedding took place in Oslo. In addition, in October this year, Ole Einar is going to become a father. The biathletes Bjoerndalen and Domrachev, whose photos you see in the article, are really a wonderful couple. It is worth to wish happiness to a young family!
Ole Einar is a diversified athlete. In addition to biathlon, he is fond of climbing, cross-country. Biathlon for him is primarily a hobby, not a job.
The biathlete Bjoerndalen devotes a lot of time to sponsorship events.
He currently lives in the Austrian city of Obertilliach, where Daria also plans to move.
Interesting facts from the life of a champion
Our champion very carefully protects his health, protects himself from viruses and maintains cleanliness everywhere, therefore he always takes a vacuum cleaner on a trip and very rarely shakes his hand. He adopted the habit of carrying this device from older “collections”.
In April 2014, in order to prevent unforeseen diseases, create optimal conditions for the training process and restore strength, he buys a 20-ton van. The value of such a motor home was estimated at 2 million crowns.
In 2016 in Moscow, our hero, together with Certina, presented his own collection of watches.
By its nature, it is modest, phlegmatic. His inherent feelings of humor and self-irony.
Principles of Ole Einar Bjoerndalen
At press conferences and official events, Björndälen adheres only to the classics - an impeccable classic costume.
On all topics that relate to the family, he imposed a taboo.
Ole Einar categorical with respect to doping, he believes that it is better to double-check this or that medicine several times. In the event of an error, you fail not yourself, but the team. He does not drink alcohol.
In athletes, he appreciates not only physical fitness, but also the mind. So, thanks to his thinking, says Bjoerndalen, M. Fourcade can cope with difficult situations, from which not every experienced athlete will be selected.
Future plans
At a recent press conference, Bjoerndalen announced that he plans to continue his career in biathlon for at least two years. He wants to perform at the Olympic Games in South Korea, which will be held in 2018. In addition, he is looking forward to the time when he and Daria will compete together. D. Domracheva plans to participate in competitions from January 2017.