"I'm always hungry." How Bjoerndalen remains one of the best biathletes in the world. Enjoying life in Belarus

Ole Einar Bjoerndalen is the recognized king of biathlon. His track record includes eight Olympic gold medals, twenty victories at the World Championships and about a hundred personal victories at the World Cup stages.

Born 01/27/1974

Achievements:

• Eight-time Olympic champion (Nagano 1998 - sprint, Salt Lake City 2002 - individual race, sprint, pursuit, relay, Vancouver 2010 - relay, Sochi 2014 - sprint, mixed relay).
• Four-time silver medalist of the Olympic Games (Nagano 1998 - relay, Turin 2006 - individual race, pursuit, Vancouver 2010 - individual race).
• Bronze medalist at the 2006 Olympic Games in the mass start.
• Twenty-time world champion (1998 - team race, 2003 - sprint, mass start, 2005 - sprint, pursuit, mass start, relay, 2007 - sprint, pursuit, 2008 - pursuit, 2009 - sprint, pursuit, individual race, relay, 2011 - mixed relay, relay, 2012 - mixed relay, relay, 2013 - relay, 2016 - relay).
• Fourteen-time silver medalist of the world championships (1997 - relay, 1998 - pursuit, 2000 - relay, 2001 - mass start, 2004 - relay, 2006 - mixed relay, 2007 - relay, 2008 - individual race, relay, mass start, 2010 – mixed relay, 2015 – relay, 2016 – sprint, pursuit).
• Eleven-time bronze medalist of the world championships (1997 - pursuit, 1999 - relay, mass start, 2000 - mass start, 2001 - relay, 2004 - sprint, pursuit, individual race, 2008 - sprint, 2016 - mass start, 2017 – pursuit race).
• World Cup winner in the seasons 1997/1998, 2002/2003, 2004/2005, 2005/2006, 2007/2008, 2008/2009.
• Silver medalist of the World Cup 1996/1997, 1998/1999, 1999/2000, 2000/2001, 2003/2004, 2006/2007.
• Bronze medalist of the World Cup 2001/2002.
• World Cup stages: 95 victories, 53 second and 30 third places.

First seasons

The most popular sport in Norway is skiing, so Bjoerndalen didn't have much choice. However, having received basic skiing training, Ole Einar followed the example of his older brother Dag and switched to biathlon.

In the 1992/1993 season, the young biathlete achieved his first successes - first he won twice at the Norwegian Youth Championships, and then became a three-time world junior champion.

Victories at the junior level paved the way for Bjoerndalen to join the main team of the Norwegian national team for the home Olympic Games in Lillehammer. True, the debutant did not win any special laurels at such major competitions, limiting himself to 28th and 36th places in individual races and 7th in the relay.

But this was only the beginning of a long journey. The young athlete finally consolidates his position in the main team of the country and already in the next season makes it to the podium three times, finishing in 4th position in the World Cup, and is one step away from a medal in the sprint race at the World Championships.

Despite the fact that Bjoerndalen won his first cup victory, he finished the 1995/1996 season in 9th place. The reason for this is unstable shooting, which especially hinders the Norwegian in individual races. But as soon as the young athlete improves his hit percentage, he immediately becomes a regular on the podium. In the winter of 1997, Ole Einar finally established himself as a top biathlete, reaping a harvest of victories and prizes at cup stages and winning his first medals at the world championships - bronze in the pursuit and silver in the relay.

Nagano-1998

Bjoerndalen approached the Nagano Olympics in excellent shape, winning the final cup sprint and finishing second in the previous two. The non-randomness of the Norwegian results was confirmed in Japan. With perfect shooting, he brought a minute to his compatriot Frode Andresen.

Moreover, he had to prove his superiority twice - the day before Ole Einar also excelled, but the organizers canceled the results of the sprint race due to bad weather, and the athletes had to go to the start the next day. Unconditional victory!

Bjoerndalen also performed brilliantly in the relay. Without any extra ammunition on the range and completing his fourth round with the fastest time, he led Norway to the silver medal. Ole Einar ended his triumphant season with a victory in the overall World Cup.

No big victories

The performance in Nagano confirmed that Bjoerndalen, along with Andresen, has the best move. It would seem that now there will be no problems: shoot well and win. But not everything is so simple - the Germans Fischer, Luke and Gross were still good, ours and Rostovtsev shot in some races, and the Frenchman grew into an elite biathlete.

But Bjoerndalen still couldn’t get his shooting going, which let him down at the most inopportune moments. So, at three world championships in a row (1999-2001), he was never able to get into the prizes in his favorite sprint and pursuit, taking 4th and 5th places in it, but he became a regular on the podium at world championships in a new discipline - mass start.

Consistent performances at the cup stages brought the Norwegian three consecutive second positions in the World Cup, but they hardly pleased their owner after the triumphant Nagano. Moreover, in terms of speed, as a rule, he had no equal. All that remained was to deal with the shooting.

Salt Lake City 2002

At the American Games, the pursuit race was included in the Olympic tournament program for the first time, which doubly increased the importance of the sprint race. And then Bjoerndalen had a breakthrough - just like four years ago, he closed all ten targets and became the champion, having received a 29-second handicap over Fischer before the pursuit, which resulted in a convincing gold pursuit.

Well, the champion’s victorious march in the capital of the Mormons began with an individual race - “just” two mistakes did not prevent the fleet-footed Norwegian, who took fifth place in the ski mass start shortly before the start of the biathlon program, from convincingly winning the top twenty.

Bjoerndalen's series of golden performances was crowned by the relay race, with which he became a four-time winner and the main hero of Salt Lake City 2002. Greatest performance at the Olympics!

Domination

Success at the Olympic Games inspired Ole Einar, who from the next season until the end of the 2000s began to literally churn out victories. In seven years, he won five World Cups and eleven gold medals at world championships: sprint and mass start in Khanty-Mansiysk 2003, sprint, pursuit and mass start in Hochfilzen 2005, sprint and pursuit in Anterselva 2007, pursuit in Ostersund 2008, sprint, pursuit and individual race in Pyeongchang 2009.

Amazing speed, which was maintained from the first stage of the season to the last, and stable shooting made Bjoerndalen the favorite in absolutely every race. And the Norwegian justified his status at all world championships, except Oberhof, when Poiret still did not allow him to reach the gold. Particularly chic is the fact that Ole Einar won the overall world cup championships, missing several stages every year.

By the mid-2000s, Bjoerndalen’s successes had become so commonplace that he was given the nickname “king of biathlon,” which he had to confirm in Turin 2006. However, shortly before the Olympics, something happened to the Norwegian that you cannot insure against - an illness, as a result of which the favorite had to completely redraw his training plan and go to Italy not in the best condition. Alas, the temporary downtime and decline in form affected the results: silver in the individual and pursuit and bronze in the mass start. An excellent catch for any athlete, but not for Ole Einar, who planned to repeat the success of four years ago and had every reason to do so.

Recession

Bjoerndalen arrived at the Olympic Games in Vancouver at the age of 36 - an experienced athlete, but still capable of great victories. However, in Canada, as in Italy, he again made a mistake in the sprint, which even the pursuit did not help. The mass start was a complete failure – 27th place. But the Norwegian succeeded in the twenty - second place. And, of course, let's note the relay - Bjoerndalen cheerfully dealt with his rivals in the final stage and became a six-time Olympic champion.

Surprisingly, no one thought that the Norwegian was in decline, which is typical for an athlete of his age. It seemed to everyone around that an unfortunate accident had occurred at the Olympics. However, this was only the beginning of a protracted dive. After a great start to the 2010/2011 season, the king vacated his throne. From now on, he was no longer the fastest on the track, and his shooting left much to be desired. As a result, Bjoerndalen turned into a second-tier biathlete, teetering on the edge of the top ten.

In three calendar years, he won only one victory at the cup stages, and his best result at the world championships was fourth place in the sprint in 2013. At the same time, we must pay tribute, the veteran was good in relay races, regularly replenishing his gold baggage in them.

Sochi triumph

According to Ole Einar, the 2013/2014 season was to be his last in his career, so he paid special attention to preparing for the Olympics. Shortly before the Sochi starts, Bjoerndalen got into decent shape, competing on equal terms in speed with Svendsen and Fourcade, the fastest biathletes of that period.

But even the visible improvement in condition did not make the Norwegian a favorite - winning at 40 years old against 25-30 year olds is fantastic. But miracles happen: Bjoerndalen brought his best form to Russia in the last five years and became a triumphant sprint, winning it with one penalty and showing absolutely the best performance over the distance. And the mixed relay made him a two-time Sochi champion.

At the same time, he had excellent chances for medals in the pursuit and classic relay, in which he was content with fourth places. And if in the first case, he was separated from the podium, and possibly even victory, by one mistake (there were three in total), then in the second, “thank you” must be said to Svendsen, who failed the decisive stage.

Latest successes

Inspired by his success in Sochi, Bjoerndalen changed his mind about leaving the sport, declaring that he would remain in biathlon until the end of the 2015/2016 season. The joy of his fans knew no bounds - Ole Einar will say goodbye to them at the home World Cup.

Having started right off the bat at the cup stages, the Norwegian was well prepared for the main start of the season. His speed, of course, was slower than that of Fourcade and Johannes Boe, but compared to the others he was good. The shooting at the home stadium also went well. As a result, the 42-year-old super-veteran became second in the sprint and pursuit, excelled as part of the relay four and won bronze in the mass start.

What a beautiful end to a career - but no! Bjoerndalen surprises the public again by declaring that he plans to run until the next Olympics. However, this time a miracle did not happen - despite the fact that he did not leave the 2017 World Championships empty-handed (bronze in the pursuit), the Norwegian was disappointed in the Olympic season - his results dropped sharply, and he was unable to qualify for the team .

And in April 2018, something happened that should have happened a long time ago - Bjoerndalen announced his retirement. But despite the disappointing final note, Ole Einar has nothing to be sad about. Biathlon gave him everything he could in terms of satisfying his personal ambitions. And, of course, the Norwegian should thank fate that thanks to his favorite sport he has Daria Domracheva and daughter Ksenia.

King of Biathlon

It is useless to argue about who is the best biathlete of all time - the facts speak for Bjoerndalen. No other shooting skier has as many awards as he has. Even if suddenly the monstrous Martin Fourcade overtakes Ole Einar in the number of cup victories and gold medals at the World Championships and Olympic Games, this will not in any way undermine the status of our hero. Bjoerndalen is a synonym for the word “biathlon”, a person in love with the sport, who has lived for 30 years with the goal of self-improvement.

The visual factor also adds majestic epithets to the final assessment of the Norwegian’s career: winning sprints with an almost minute advantage, without outwardly straining, and becoming first in the overall World Cup standings, missing several stages per season, signs of a king.

Now we talked with the legendary Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, catching up with the Norwegian at the presentation of a limited edition Certina watch dedicated to His Majesty. There we asked Ola questions invented by our readers.

The first question disappeared on its own: our reader Alexey Krasnokutsky asked to find out why the biathlete rarely shakes hands, but Ole shook my hand so firmly that I immediately moved on to the next point of the interview.

Ole Einar, as you know, cross-country skiing is much more popular in Norway than biathlon. Why did you choose this particular sport? After all, everyone knows that in cross-country skiing you climbed to the highest step of the podium at the World Championships, that is, you have very fast skiing. ALEXEY BERESNEV

I like sports where you have to think a lot, and biathlon is much more difficult than cross-country skiing. In racing you only need strength and a crazy attitude, but in biathlon you also need enormous control over yourself. You have to be as calm as a boa constrictor and calculating in order to switch from a state of focus on the shooting ranges to the race that occurs between them. It is very difficult to train this combination so that success in one does not lead to decline in the other. It was this complexity of biathlon that attracted me. By the way, it was also a serious challenge, because at first I shot very poorly.

What did you have to sacrifice and give up for such stunning success? What do you regret most (sleep, alcohol, etc.)? DMITRY DMITRIEV

If you have a goal and it takes a long time to get there, it requires a lot of discipline. Our travel takes a lot of time - I am away from home 300 days a year, add training to this - and it becomes clear that my family sees me very rarely. In such a situation, of course, you do not completely lose contact with your loved ones, but maintaining it is more difficult than when you simply return home from work every evening. Here's one victim for you. I brought the other one at the age of 12, when I was determined to become the best in the world and decided never to drink alcohol. Since then I have not broken this promise, and it has not been so easy. In principle, I am not against alcohol. I think that after my career ends, I will sometimes drink something, but first, sports.

What can be an analogue of an Olympic gold medal for you in ordinary (non-sports) life? What causes the same emotions? NINA PEREGONTSEVA

The Olympics are special emotions, but I cannot say that they cannot be achieved in ordinary life and training. For me, a great pleasure, comparable to victories, is the opportunity to advise something to young athletes and see how it helps them become better. Sometimes this immediately affects their results - for me this is a great joy. Another joy accessible to everyone, close in emotion to the happiness of receiving an Olympic medal, is charity, helping children. As for the adrenaline that I get from biathlon, fast cars give me similar sensations. I also love rock climbing and, in general, I love discovering new sports. All these are also sharp and strong emotions.

How did you become interested in auto racing? Do you have your own car, what brand is it?)) IRINA GORBACHEVA

I love speed and racing. When I had a contract with Porsche, I jumped at the chance to drive all their cars. Now I have a contract with BMW and, again, I test all their cars, and I also look at them from the point of view of an athlete who is used to competition: I mean, I’m interested in watching what they do to be the best in your class, defeating your rivals. I can't even compare myself closely to professional racers, but I like that there is a lot to learn in this sport, and the feeling of being in control of a powerful car is something special.

Dossier:

Born on January 27, 1974 in Drammen (Norway) into a large family - he has two brothers and two sisters. His sports career began when he was only twelve years old. His older brother Dag instilled in him a love for biathlon, and subsequently, with his younger brother, Hans-Anton, the brothers created the “Bjoerndalen Team,” which for many years formed the backbone of the Norwegian national team.

The first competition in Ole’s sports career was the World Junior Championships in 1992. And his first success came to him a year later, at the next world junior championship, when he won three out of four races. In the 1994/1995 season and especially at the 1995 World Championships in Antholz, Ole attracted close attention, finishing fourth and literally losing his medal. Thus began the era of Ole Einar Bjoerndalen in biathlon. At the end of the same season he also finished fourth in the World Cup. But on the same track in Antholz in January 1996, he won his first World Cup victory.

At the Olympic Games in Nagano in 1998, Ole won his first gold and silver Olympic medals in the relay race as part of the Norwegian team. That same year, Ole and his teammates won a gold medal in the relay competition and a silver medal in the pursuit race. And then he won the World Cup for the first time.

2002 was one of the most successful years in Ole's career - gold medals in four disciplines (individual, sprint, pursuit, and relay) at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, as well as brilliant performances at numerous cross-country competitions -country skiing.

Ole Einar Bjoerndalen is a unique personality in the history of biathlon; he rightfully received the nickname "King Ole". The success of this athlete and his charisma greatly contributed to the increase in the popularity of biathlon in the world. Ole's personality, with over 90 World Cup victories and numerous world cross-country skiing victories, is extremely attractive to a wide range of people.

His recent impressive victories and two more gold medals (sprint and mixed relay) at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics show that Ole is still the best in the world. The most decorated Olympian (13 medals) continues to amaze the world at 40 years old, and his endurance remains inexhaustible. In recognition of his contribution to the development of biathlon and sports in general, Ole Einar Bjoerndalen was elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee. Ole Einar Bjoerndalen has been a CERTINA brand ambassador since 2011.

What sport would you do if you lived in a place where there is no snow? PAVEL TSYMBAL

Perhaps it would be long distance running. For example, half marathons. Perhaps a mountain bike. I really love mountain biking because you can travel, you can go to places that at first glance seem inaccessible. A very interesting thing. I would advise Men's Health readers not to get hung up on any one sport; there are many activities that do not require special equipment and large financial and time expenditures. The same running. If you run 30 minutes a day, you are already doing a great job If you can’t run, swim. The main thing is not to be lazy, sports are also great fun.

Ole Einar, few people know that you walk a tightrope perfectly and as a child you dreamed of becoming a sports photographer, what prompted you to change your childhood dream and become a biathlete? ARTEM

At school I loved photography and became seriously interested in this activity, but gradually the sport took up all my time. Maybe when I finish my career I will return to photography. I learned to walk on a tightrope a long time ago - when I was 12-13 years old. Then my dad advised me to try it, and I liked it, because the ability to maintain balance can come in handy at the most unexpected moment in life. I learned it in two weeks, and this skill is like riding a bicycle, you learn it once and you can always repeat it. I even once showed a striptease at a party, walking to the rope. I had my panties on all the way, but I was able to take off all the other clothes right on the rope.

Ole Einar, please remember the best advice you ever received from your coach. IVAN

My weakness was shooting. And I quickly realized that this technique was much more difficult for me than for others. As a result, I even had to work with a psychologist. But what really helped me was that I trained shooting twice a day, five days a week, for a year. I obviously don’t have any talent for this, but here’s some advice for you - if something doesn’t work out for you, don’t give up, but just put in two or three times as much effort as others (perhaps more gifted than you) and you you will become better than them.

Dear Ole! When did you get more pleasure from biathlon training - at 17 years old or at your current age? ALEXANDER CHERNY

When I was younger, I was more interested in trying new things, learning from everyone and trying to apply and combine different things, looking for optimal solutions. Now I’m probably the most experienced biathlete in the world and everything is different. Now I have to feel where this sport is going and what new athletes are bringing to it - perhaps they will see something fresh that never occurred to me. I have to watch, learn and copy their strengths. I think I'm good at this. If I see a slightly different skiing or shooting technique that brings results to someone else, I will always try it. To do this, I don’t even need to talk to the person I want to copy, just look, feel his movement - and that’s it, I can already repeat it. This is what helps me, even at 40 years old, work on my technique and continue to improve it.

Dear Ole Einar, what thoughts do you have during the race? Thoughts about what make you maintain concentration and the will to win, at the right moment collect all your reserves and rush to the finish line? NIKITA

I always have a plan for the race, it's in my head. Previously, these plans were very detailed and detailed, but now they are more general, since I can already largely rely on my feelings, instincts and experience. I can trust myself. The most important thing is to identify a few key points that will prevent you from missing out on the race. When you're tired, your brain and your muscles don't work as well, and at that moment you need to stay calm. Everything is provided for in my plan, and these, as I call them, “key points” make it possible not to lose control.

Ole Einar, what dreams do you have before important competitions? VLADIMIR SMIRNOV

I may not sleep - worry and endlessly replay in my head the same plan for the race that I already talked about. And sometimes, on the contrary, I fall through and sleep before the start, like a child. It’s always different - sometimes I wake up relaxed, sometimes I’m all wet because I dreamed of a race in which something went wrong. I think it’s not that important, and if girls dream about you before the competition, that’s also good.

Is it true that you come to the competition with a vacuum cleaner mascot? And if so, how did he become your mascot? NIKITA GORLOV

I said that I spend the whole year traveling and I need to always stay healthy. Infections and viruses throw an athlete off schedule and prevent him from training or performing. Therefore, if there is a carpet on the floor of a hotel, I would rather clean it myself again, because I know how difficult it is to vacuum such a thing well, ridding it of any infection. For about fifteen years I flew everywhere with the same vacuum cleaner and, yes, perhaps it was my talisman. But for two years now I have always stipulated in advance that everything in the room should be plastic or wooden, without carpets. So now the vacuum cleaner lives at home.

Of the several dozen questions you sent for Bjoerndalen, our jury, consisting entirely of the golden feathers of Men's Health, selected the best. We admit, it was difficult to do this (friends, you did great - the questions were very good), but since the interview could not last several hours, we had to cut the list almost to the quick. As for the prizes, here they are:

1. NIKITA GORLOV

2. DMITRY DMITRIEV

3. PAVEL TSYMBAL

Congratulations to the winners - wait for your number of Forces to be replenished and send your full name, postal address and telephone number to [email protected] so that we can send you prizes.

He is an outstanding and successful Norwegian biathlete and skier who is the only six-time Olympic champion in biathlon. In addition, he is a sixteen-time world champion, multiple medalist of the world biathlon and summer biathlon championships, and six-time World Cup winner. He won the hearts of many sports fans. The famous Ole Einar Bjoerndalen is a biathlon star and a favorite of his fans.

By all indicators, this person is second among athletes in winter sports.

Ole Einar Bjoerndalen: biography, hobbies

He was born in the small Norwegian town of Dramenne on January 27, 1974. His childhood passed in the city of Simostranda in a family of ordinary farmers. The boy was not particularly interested in studies, since he spent all his free time in various sports sections. Football, javelin throwing, handball, athletics and cycling are all his childhood hobbies. At one time, Ole’s father was also involved in athletics, but he had to stop these activities because he had to earn a living for his large family.

Ole Einar has 2 more brothers and 2 sisters. Doug (elder brother) was the first of the children to become interested in biathlon. Following his example, in 1984, Ole became involved in this particular sport.

As a result, it turns out that with his wonderful victories, the Norwegian biathlete made the dreams of his father come true, to whom fate did not give him the opportunity to play his favorite sport for his own pleasure.

Athlete's personal details

The athlete received his education at the Norwegian Ski Academy.

Ole speaks excellent languages: Norwegian, Italian, English and German.

Since 1992 he has been a member of the Norwegian national team. His coaches are Rogger Grubben (skiing) and Joar Himmle (shooting), and Ole’s native sports club is Simostranda.

Biathlon career, success

The future Norwegian star biathlete Ole Einar, as noted above, was fond of several sports in his childhood and youth. However, the example of his older brother influenced the final choice. Initially, the athlete was distinguished by his excellent skiing, so he was noticed by coaches, and already in 1992-1993 he began to compete at the World Cup stages.

In Lillehammer 1994 was his first at the Winter Olympics. At that time, only a lack of experience did not allow him to demonstrate his excellent abilities. He did not win a single medal then.

His first serious and significant success was in the 1994-1995 season, following which Bjoerndalen took fourth place in the overall World Cup standings. And in 1998, he won his first and took first place in the World Cup.

In the 2001-2002 season, Ole Einar Bjoerndalen won first place four times at the Olympics in Salt Lake City. The season that followed brought the eminent athlete the second World Cup in his long career.

The 42-year-old eight-time Olympic champion gave an exclusive interview to SE during his visit to Moscow.

Bjoerndalen moves as quickly in life as he does on the track. Just the day before, at a press conference in Norway, he announced two news: one, quite predictable, about continuing his career at least until the 2018 Olympic Games in South Korea; and the second, unexpectedly pleasant one, that she and the Belarusian biathlete Daria Domracheva will become parents in October.

The very next day, Bjoerndalen presented his own watch collection in Moscow together with the Certina company. The Norwegian was true to himself: an impeccable classic suit, thoughtful and extremely correct answers to any questions. At the same time, Bjoerndalen cannot be denied a sense of humor and self-irony: for example, before the start of the interview, he suggested vacuuming the hotel carpet, because there may be germs there. And then he defiantly extended his hand to the TV journalist - here, they say, is proof that in fact I do not suffer from paranoia and calmly shake hands with strangers, without thinking about potential viruses.

But the topic of personal life still remains taboo for Bjoerndalen. The great Norwegian admitted that he and Domracheva are a couple and are expecting a child. But he did not intend to go deeper and warned in advance that it was better not to ask him questions on this topic.

"BIATHLON IS A HOBBY FOR ME, NOT A JOB"

After a brilliant performance at the home World Championships in Oslo, you apparently had almost no doubts about whether to continue your career. Or did this decision cost you several sleepless nights?

- No, this time the decision was not as difficult for me as it was two years ago, in 2014 after the Olympics in Sochi. Now I feel the strength and desire to run, my results last season were simply fantastic: I won four medals at the home World Championships, won and was on the podium at the World Cup. Although, of course, I still had something to discuss with the people closest to me: family, coaches, doctors.

- Do you see any disadvantages for yourself in staying in biathlon for at least two more years?

- Of course I see! There is a fairly big chance that in one of the next seasons I will not be able to achieve results and will perform catastrophically poorly. And people say that you should quit sports when you are at the top. And if I left now, I would be guaranteed to do so, without any risk.

- But you really didn’t want to leave now?

- To be honest, I still enjoy playing sports. It’s not even about the result; I enjoy the process of achieving it. The case when the path is more interesting than the goal. Therefore, biathlon is a hobby for me, not a job. Work is, for example, what I do now: sponsorship events, interviews and the like. And in my free time I can do what I want, that is, go to train.

You mentioned the day before that you are no less motivated now than you were 20 years ago. But surely the current incentives are very different from those that were in the past - a beginner athlete is one thing, and an eight-time Olympic champion is another?

- Perhaps motivation should change over the years, but for me it doesn’t. Both then and now I did biathlon because I like it. Of course, I am aware that sooner or later the day will come when I will have to leave the sport. I have to feel this moment with my heart. So far, it seems to me, he has not come.

It seems to me that even when you stop competing, you will continue to train as before - because you simply cannot do without it?

- Of course, if only because abruptly stopping training is dangerous to your health. I will reduce my loads, but very gradually.

- Tell us about your training - how does it change as you age?

- Now I train a little less than at the beginning of my career. But I focus on quality, speed work, and various technical aspects. I have never paid as much attention to this as I do now.

You were never afraid of experiments - you changed your skiing technique several times, performed with curved poles. Should we expect something similar in the future?

- Yes, sure. I'm collaborating with a ski company and we're preparing something interesting. Also next year, the service person we worked with throughout my career is leaving my team. He said he was tired and wanted to spend more time at home. Although he will still help me during the preparatory period. I'm sorry, but this is my friend and I have to respect his decision.

- People around you get tired and leave, but you stay...

- Of course, it’s not easy to work with me. I can be demanding and persistent. But my results are largely the result of the work of my team.

"NORTHUG - PARTY CHAMPION"

Your compatriot, two-time Olympic champion skier Petter Northug is looking forward to how you will celebrate the good news in your personal life together at the “Race of Champions” in Tyumen. You are ready?

- Petter is my good friend, we have a great relationship. I would love to celebrate everything with him, but I can’t do it. When it comes to partying, Northug is a true pro, a champion. I don’t know how to have fun like that, I’m much more modest here. I also like holidays, I like to relax a little, but I’m far from some.

You run no worse than young people, but in life you behave like a mature man - from the classic style of clothing to the refusal of wild parties. How old do you feel?

- It’s hard to forget that I’m already 42, but I feel much younger. Well, maybe 25 years maximum. I like the feeling that I can still compete on equal terms with guys who are 21-22 years old, and even beat them. I'm old enough to be the father of Johannes Boe, so what? This makes me feel young and strong like before.

In 2007, when we did an interview during the World Ski Championships in Sapporo, you said: “Little children often get sick, and I can’t afford it. Two professional athletes with children is not an optimal option.” Apparently your opinion has changed since then?

- I don't remember these specific words. It seems to me that in general this topic is just another story that is written about me and which has no relation to reality. I never said that I don’t want and don’t like children. The infection can be caught anywhere; the more people around, the greater the likelihood. But that’s not a reason not to communicate with anyone, right? You just need to take certain precautions, such as washing your hands before eating.

- How are you and Daria Domracheva going to combine raising a child and active performances?

- This will be a new life, very different from the one we led before. Daria wants to start competing in January, and I'm looking forward to that moment. Apparently, it will not be easy to combine everything, but we are not the first to follow this path.

- How are you doing in learning Russian?

- No way, I practically don’t understand or speak a word. Although it would be great to learn a little: for example, here in Moscow, I would like to get behind the wheel, but as soon as I saw a noisy intersection and realized that I didn’t know the language at all, I changed my mind.

Ole Einar BJORNDALEN in Olympic Sochi. Photo by Fyodor USPENSKY, "SE"

"I WOULD BE HAPPY TO RETURN TO PYEONGCHANG AGAIN"

- Have you heard anything about the latest doping scandals involving Russian athletes?

- Yes, but I don’t think I have the right to give any comments on this topic.

- Have you personally ever been offered doping?

- No. I lived in Austria, Italy and Norway and was always and everywhere extremely careful with the drugs I took. Sometimes you have to double-check everything several times until you find a familiar tool that you are confident in. But this is entirely the responsibility of the athlete, because in case of a mistake, you will expose not only yourself personally, but also your team.

- How do you feel about the Frenchman Martin Fourcade being called “the second Bjoerndalen”?

- Martin is a fantastic biathlete and of course he will be the first Fourcade, not the second Bjoerndalen. At the moment Fourcade is the best in the world. What I like is that he is not only physically strong, but also a very smart athlete. It’s difficult to explain how it works, but it is this intelligence that helps him cope with difficult situations from which not everyone can get out .

Our Olympic champion Olga Medvedtseva said that when you finally end your career, she will cry. Do you often encounter such manifestations of feelings?

- Often. I'm glad that people think that way, but I can't draw motivation from such words. It is somewhere inside me, not outside.

At the 2009 World Championships in Pyeongchang, Korea, where the next Olympics will be held, you won four gold medals. But that tournament was also remembered for your offensive mistake, when in the pursuit race you missed the right turn and accidentally cut off a few meters...

- That championship turned out to be one of the best in my career, despite very difficult conditions - constant wind, rain, lack of snow. As for that incident, I actually mistakenly drove on the bridge, and not under it. It's my fault, although the route markings weren't done in the best way. I think the appeal jury made the right decision then, leaving me with gold, since I was the strongest athlete in that race. But I am aware that there are people who think differently. I will be glad to return to Pyeongchang in good shape in two years and try to repeat the same thing, but without mistakes.

Ole Einar Bjørndalen (Norwegian: Ole Einar Bjørndalen). Born on January 27, 1974 in Drammen (Buskerud county, Norway). Legendary Norwegian biathlete, the most decorated athlete in the history of the Winter Olympic Games (13 medals, including 8 gold), Biathlon World Championships (19 victories) and Biathlon World Cups (6 victories overall).

Ole Einar won four out of four possible victories in biathlon at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and became the world's only absolute Olympic champion in biathlon.

Björndalen won 96 personal victories at the World Cup stages in biathlon and cross-country skiing (95 and 1, respectively).

IOC member since 2014.

Winner of the most medals (13) in the history of the Winter Olympic Games in all sports. Shares the record for most Winter Olympic Games titles with skier Björn Deli (8 each).

The oldest winner of the World Cup and Olympic Games in biathlon in individual races - at 41 years, 10 months and 5 days, individual race (Östersund), December 2, 2015.

Ole Einar Bjoerndalen. King of Biathlon

Ole Einar Björndalen was born in the Norwegian town of Drammen, and grew up in the town of Simostranda in the Modum municipality of Buskerud county in a family of farmers.

He had little interest in studies and spent quite a lot of time in sports clubs. He played football, went to handball training, threw a javelin, and participated in cycling and athletics competitions in the 3000-meter run.

Ole Einar's father was also involved in athletics, but was forced to give up sports to earn a living.

He has two brothers and two sisters. The older brother, Doug, was the first in the family to start biathlon. Ole Einar followed in his footsteps. Younger brother - Hans Anton.

Ole Einar has been interested in various sports since childhood. Following the example of his older brother Doug, he began to engage in biathlon.

Distinguished by his good skiing, Ole Einar was noticed by coaches, and from the end of the 1992/1993 season he began performing at the World Cup stages. In the same season, he made a splash at the Junior World Championships in Ruhpolding (1993), becoming a 3-time champion.

In 1994, he joined the Olympic team and took part in the home Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. But lack of experience did not allow the young biathlete to show good results.

At his first Olympics, he did not win a single medal. He finished thirty-sixth in the individual race, twenty-eighth in the sprint, and seventh in the relay.

In the 1993-1994 season, Ole Einar, as at the home Olympics, did not show high results in personal disciplines, taking places only behind the top ten, or even further. In the only race that counted towards the World Championship in Canmore, Canada, he ended up in a disappointing fourth place in the team race. And this was the only race of the season where I was just a little short of a medal.

The first significant success came in the 1994/1995 season. Björndalen won the first personal podium in his career, in the sprint, already at the first stage of the World Cup in Bad Gastein, Austria - 2nd place. During the season, he climbed to the podium twice more in a similar race (Oberhof, sprint - 3; Lillehamer, sprint - 3.). He competed at the World Championships in Antholz: individual race - 12th place, sprint - one step away from the podium - 4th place, relay - 5th. Very stable results in the sprint allowed Ole Einar to take the first small world cup in the sprint in his career and take fourth place in the overall World Cup standings. In addition to personal successes, the first podium was taken and the first victory in the relay was won.

In the 1995/1996 World Cup, Björndalen pleased himself with his first personal victory in his career in the individual race, where before this I didn’t even come close to the top three, unlike the sprints. This victory took place at the third stage in Antholz, Italy, where in addition to the victory there was also silver in the sprint. Just like last year, they won the relay race, the very last race of the season. The same team disciplines gave Björndalen three more podium finishes: 1 bronze and two silvers.

At the World Championships in Ruhpolding, the closest he came to a medal was in the relay race, where the Norwegian team took fourth place, finished 19th in the individual race, and 6th in the sprint. During the season, the Norwegian scored 141 points and took 9th place in the overall standings.

In the next season 1996/1997, Ole Einar's results went uphill. He won three personal victories at once, took prizes ten times, including relay ones, and at the World Championships in Osrbly he won a bronze medal in the pursuit and a silver medal in the relay. Björndalen, with 303 points, became second in the overall World Cup standings and first in the sprint standings.

In 1998, in Nagano, Björndalen won the sprint and became an Olympic champion., and won a silver medal as part of the relay team. Moreover, he won the sprint only on his second run. On the originally scheduled day, Björndalen showed the best result, but the organizers were forced to cancel the competition due to a sudden snowstorm. “Then I got angry.- he said, - but within five minutes I was ready for a new race".

And indeed, the next day he became an Olympic champion, and performed much stronger. At the end of the season, Björndalen won two sprints, one of which became an Olympic victory, and also became the world champion in the team race and won his first World Cup for winning the overall standings, scoring 289 points. In addition, he also received a small Cup for winning the sprint competition, and in total during the season he won 11 prizes (together with team disciplines).

In the 1998/1999 season, Ole Einar failed to repeat his Olympic success, and he only became a bronze medalist in the mass start and relay. Björndalen again won 11 prizes, three of which were personal victories. Ole scored 397 points, which was not enough for the World Cup. The result in the overall standings was also affected by missing one of the stages.

In the 1999/2000 and 2000/2001 seasons, they again failed to win the World Championship. Björndalen won two silver and two bronze medals in the mass start and relay. In general, Ole Einar was still in the shadow of his main rival Raphael Poiret, to whom he lost the World Cup, missing one stage in each season.

However, Björndalen set records year after year: 15 podiums in the 1999-2000 season, and then 19 in 2000-2001. In just two seasons, he accumulated 17 victories: 13 personal and 4 team successes. The collection included two more small World Cups in sprint disciplines, and one small Cup in the pursuit category. At the fourth stage of the 1999-2000 World Cup, the athlete won all three races. The same thing happened on the Olympic track in Soldier Hollow (a suburb of Salt Lake City) during the 2000-2001 season.

Since the beginning of the 2001/2002 season, Björndalen has systematically and carefully prepared for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, developing an effective training plan together with the coaches. And this plan worked brilliantly. Unexpectedly for everyone, he won four gold medals and became the only absolute Olympic champion in biathlon, becoming the only five-time Olympic champion in biathlon at that time.

He conquered all four Olympic distances existing at that time: individual race, sprint, pursuit and relay. Moreover, before the biathlon program, Ole Einar managed to take part in the 30 km Olympic ski race, where he took fifth place and was even a contender for participation in the Olympic ski relay. He was called everywhere the “golden boy” and the “king of biathlon.”

After the triumphant Olympics, the book was published "Ten days - four victories", telling in detail about the difficult path to the top, about how you can win four victories in 10 days. Such a resounding success still did not allow him to win the overall standings, since the Norwegian missed two stages of the World Cup at once. Ole came third with 692 points.

The 2002/2003 season brought the eminent biathlete the second World Cup in his career. At the World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk, after a long hunt for a personal gold medal, 29-year-old Björndalen finally won the sprint and won the mass start. In one season, he managed to win 12 victories, of which only one was in the relay. To the main cup of the season, Björndalen managed to add three small ones, for winning the sprint competition, the pursuit competition and the mass start.

However, the 2003/2004 season was not so successful. Throughout the season, Björndalen was “decimated” psychologically, largely due to family problems: the biathlete’s mother died. At the World Championships in Oberhof, Ole Einar won four medals: three bronze in individual races, silver in the relay. The victory in the overall standings was again celebrated by Raphael Poiret, for whom the season became triumphant.

In order to return to the top again, you need a strong character, and the five-time Olympic champion had it. The 2004-2005 season became one of the most successful in his career the greatest biathlete. Despite missing seven personal races, he triumphantly wins the next World Cup, gaining 923 points, and also wins three small cups for winning the individual race, mass start and the much-loved and successful sprint. In total, a record 15 victories were accumulated during the season, of which 12 were personal.

Over the entire season, Ole Einar did not fall below sixth place, and was 6th only twice. In addition, he became the “king” of two consecutive stages: in Ruhpolding and in Antholz, in which he won all three planned races. Of course, the World Championships in Hochfilzen, Austria, became a triumph for the 31-year-old “king of biathlon”; he repeated the result of the Olympic Games and again won four golds in the disciplines: sprint, pursuit, relay and mass start. That season "great and terrible" received also an awkward nickname - "Norwegian vampire", who can never get enough of victories.

In the 2005-2006 Olympic season, Ole Einar was completely focused only on the Winter Games in Turin, Italy. However, in January he suffered from a cold, complicated by sinusitis, and because of this he missed two stages. The form had to be retyped, in an accelerated manner. Perhaps this was the main reason for the failures in the Olympic Turin, but the Norwegian was mainly let down by unstable shooting. Ole Einar won three medals, none of which were gold: two silvers - in the individual race and the pursuit race and bronze in the mass start. Björndalen failed his signature sprint, remaining in 12th place, and in the relay the Norwegian team performed extremely poorly, and only thanks to the heroic efforts of Ole Einar at the last stage they managed to rise to a modest 5th place. Björndalen, of course, did not hide his disappointment, but the World Cup still remained with him, despite missing three stages.

Having scored 814 points, he won the next Big Crystal Globe and small cups in the mass start and pursuit races. He finally clinched victory in the overall classification at the last home stage in Holmenkollen, winning all three races.

In the 2006-2007 World Cup, the 33-year-old “king” set a fantastic record for the number of podiums and victories in a row: 10 individual podiums and 8 individual victories in a row at the turn of the 2005-2006 / 2006-2007 seasons. Moreover, in only one of these ten races Ole Einar was limited to bronze, all the other 9 were victorious, and it is unknown how long this series would have continued if it had not been for missing a stage. During the season, Björndalen won 11 victories and became "King of Östersund"(all 3 wins) and "King of Ruhpolding"(all 3 victories), but missed three stages, a total of 8 personal races, and therefore the German Michael Greis won the Big Crystal Globe. The Norwegian remained in second place with 736 points.

But one small Cup in mass starts still remained with Björndalen. Numerous missed stages were explained by skiing ambitions: Ole Einar had taken a couple of personal prizes before, back in 2001, and in November 2006 he finally won the skiing stage of the World Cup in Gällivare, Sweden, in the 15 km freestyle race. Börndalen highly appreciated this success, proving to skiers the competitiveness of biathletes in cross-country skiing. At the World Championships in Antholz, Ole Einar made a winning double: in the sprint and pursuit, and also won silver in the relay. The mass start at the World Championships was very disappointing - 4th place.

Björndalen has repeatedly taken part in the Christmas Star Race, where he has become the winner for the fourth year in a row. From the 2003/2004 season to the 2006/2007 season - first place.

In 2007, at the World Cup stage in Holmenkollen, the famous farewell race of Raphael Poiret took place. The Frenchman initially stated the mass start in Holmenkollen as a priority goal for the end of the season - he wanted to end his brilliant career on a victorious note. However, Björndalen thwarted his main rival, beating the famous Frenchman in a photo finish by just one tenth of a second. Bjoerndalen's perennial rival, Poiret lost his last race in what turned out to be a stunning battle.

In the same 2007, Ole Einar took part in the Russian Open Championship in Novosibirsk, then he managed to win the 15-kilometer race from the general start. He took 7th place in the sprint and 4th in the pursuit.

The 2007-2008 season was fruitful for medals at the World Championships in Ostersund, Sweden: bronze in the sprint, gold in the pursuit, silver in the individual race, relay and mass start - a total of 5 medals. In terms of the amount of gold, Ole Einar was pushed aside by Russian Maxim Chudov and young Norwegian Emil Hegle Svendsen. During the season, there were 7 victories (10 including relays) and a total of 18 podium finishes. There were 869 points and another World Cup, along with three small ones in the sprint, pursuit, and mass start.

The next Christmas race of the 2007/2008 season, after all, ended the series of victories of the great Norwegian, leaving him in second place.

In 2008, Ole Einar took part in the Russian Open Biathlon Championship in Uvat. He took 9th place in the sprint and 13th in the pursuit.

The 2008-2009 season turned out to be similar to last year's season, except for the World Championships in Pyeongchang, Korea, where instead of 5 medals, the Norwegian won four, but all gold. Even before the world championship, Ole Einar warned that he was only going for gold, and prophetically managed to do this, repeating the result of Hochfilzen in 2005, winning gold in the sprint, pursuit, individual race and relay. In the mixed relay, the Norwegians remained fourth, and in the mass start, Björndalen again took fourth position. The victory in the individual race was his first and only at the world championships, and the last relay gold in Pyeongchang was already his 14th gold medal, and it was an absolute record.

In the World Cup there were again 7 victories (9 including relays) and a total of 18 podiums. The record 1080 points reflect a strong overall victory and a 6th World Cup, as well as a 9th Small Cup in the sprints and a 5th in the pursuit. For the third time in his career, the “great and terrible” becomes the “King of Ruhpolding”, again winning all three races at the 5th stage of the World Cup.

Unlike the 2008-2009 season, the Olympic season gave only three victories in individual races, and unstable results, which did not allow them to fight for the World Cup. But Ole Einar was focused on the Olympics in Vancouver and hoped that it would be gold for him after his failure in Turin. However, the sprint and mass start were failures due to poor shooting: 17th and 27th places, respectively. In the pursuit race, a possible victory was missed by misses at the last shooting range (7th place). Björndalen won such an important silver in the 20 km individual race (showing the same time with the Belarusian biathlete Sergei Novikov), but lost in a bitter struggle to his compatriot Emil Hegle Svendsen, and in the last race, in the relay, in brilliant style, performing at the last stage, led his team to victory. Ole Einar stayed at a high level for four years after losing in Turin to finally become a 6-time Olympic champion.

The 2009-2010 Olympic season ended a series of strong performances by the “king of biathlon”. Björndalen turned 36 and it is becoming more and more difficult to compete with young people every year, and this is confirmed by a modest 10th place in the overall standings. Although an obvious crisis has arrived, he is still not going to give up and intends to compete until the Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014, and hopes to return to his previous level in the next season 2010-2011.

The main task in the 2010-2011 World Cup was victory in the overall standings and the World Championship in Khanty-Mansiysk. The start of the season in Östersund went well; together with Emil-Högle Svendsen they did not fall below second place in all three races. However, Ole Einar himself won only once and on the third attempt. In the individual race, he was hampered by two mistakes at the last shooting range, and in the sprint, a few meters before the finish, Björndalen unexpectedly fell on a steep descent and lost his advantage, again remaining second. The “king’s” revenge was the pursuit race, which he won with one less mistake.

Subsequently, the two Norwegians had a big fight and did not speak for a long time, but then Svendsen apologized and the two of them settled their relationship. But after Christmas, Ole Einar lost his form, showing poor results, and for a long time could not understand what was wrong. It turned out that a viral infection and too harsh training were to blame. As a result, the season became a failure, a nightmare and a collapse of hopes for a comeback. At the World Championships, personal races did not work out, and Ole, for the first time in 15 years of a long career, was left without personal awards at the World Championships. But he still managed to win two golds thanks to the mixed and men's relay races and became a 16-time world champion.

Until the end of the season, he was unable to get into optimal shape, it remained terrible, and only thanks to good shooting in the mass start, in the last race of the season in Holmenkollen, Norway, he managed to become the sole leader with a 16-second handicap, but Russian Evgeniy Ustyugov and Emil Svendsen, fighting among themselves for second place, unexpectedly, a hundred meters before the finish, managed to catch up and surpass Ole Einar, who ultimately remained in third place. After that race, Björndalen admitted that he was very tired and could not even really stand on his feet. In April, Ole also suffered a serious back injury and could even have ended his career, but managed to recover. At the end of the season, they again took 10th place in the total, having won only one personal victory.

In March 2011, Ole Einar was awarded the Holmenkollen Medal. The athlete received it at the last stage of the World Cup in Norway of the 2010/2011 season.

Also in 2011, Björndalen came to Kamchatka, where every year after the end of the season competitions for the prize in memory of Vitaly Fatyanov started. But Ole Einar did not show up at the start of the sprint race, explaining that he had not been feeling well in the last two days. Since he did not take part in the sprint, he could not compete in the pursuit race, which determined the winner.

Before the 2011-2012 season, due to a back injury, Ole Einar worked on an individual lightweight training plan and entered the season slowly and gradually, unlike the rest of the Norwegian team. At the World Championships in Ruhpolding he was left without personal awards, although he again won two relay races, becoming an 18-time world champion. Apparently, he managed to get sick and lose his form again. Even this time there was no trace of the brilliant and super-reliable relay runner, since the partners had to scramble out in each relay race when Ole entered the penalty loop, nevertheless, Norway’s team is very strong. Björndalen finished in a modest 16th place in the overall World Cup standings. Obviously, a back injury and age played a cruel joke in this not very successful season.

He took part in the Race of Champions in 2012. The main part of the commercial competition program consists of shooting, based on the results of which the starting list for mass starts is determined. Based on the results of the 6.5 km mass starts, the athletes form pairs for the mixed relay (11.7 km in total), which closes the competition. In the mass start, Björndalen showed the eighth result, and in the mixed relay paired with Olga Zaitseva - 6th.

Preparation for the 2012-2013 season took place without any adverse circumstances; Ole Einar had fully recovered from his injury and was ready to fight for the highest results. The coaches also assured that it seems that “the king has returned.” However, this time, the Norwegian was crippled by family problems: his father unexpectedly died of a heart attack, and later, after 6 years of marriage, Björndalen divorced his wife Natalie Santer. Ole Einar was never able to fully concentrate on competitions and training, although he tried his best. The best result of the season was fourth place in the sprint at the World Championships in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic. Then one miss with the last shot on the stand deprived him of not only the victory, but also the medal. Björndalen did not take part in the mixed relay at the World Cup this time, but won the men's relay, becoming a 19-time world champion. But in the World Cup it is becoming more and more difficult every year, Ole Einar has already fallen back to 22nd place.

In the summer of 2013, Ole Einar decided to retire after the Olympic Games in Sochi. Thus, the 2013-2014 season was supposed to be the last for the great Norwegian.

However, as it turns out, in his last season, the 39-year-old Norwegian is in good shape and was still able to win. The preparation for the season was more successful than ever, and Björndalen himself was incredibly motivated to end his career in a worthy manner. “The Great and the Terrible” did his best in his preparation. Back in April, for optimal training and recovery, preventing unexpected illnesses, etc., he purchased a “home on wheels” - a campervan worth up to a couple of million crowns. Colossal motivation, as he himself admits, appeared last season at the pre-Olympic stage in Sochi, and all preparation, with the onset of optimal form, went towards the Olympics. So in the sprint, at the World Cup stage in Hochfilzen, after a long break, Ole Einar won a bronze medal and one mistake deprived him of victory.

Subsequently, in a sprint-pursuit combination, he achieved a series of two consecutive second places in Oberhof, Germany, losing in a bitter fight to his compatriot Emil Hegle Svendsen in both races. Björndalen fights on equal terms with much younger leaders of recent years: Martin Fourcade and Emil Svendsen, almost not inferior to them in speed on the ski track even at 40 years old. In the sprint, with two penalties, he lost less than a second, and in the pursuit, where Ole was in the lead for a long time, victory was separated from victory by two mistakes at the last shooting range.

Bjoerndalen prepared for the Olympic Games in Sochi all season according to an individual plan, and according to the same plan he is in optimal condition. Already in the first start (sprint), despite one mistake, he becomes the owner of the next, seventh Olympic gold, winning a little more than one second over his closest pursuer. The 40-year-old “king of biathlon” demonstrates practically the best performance in the race, despite his incredibly advanced age for the sport. The personal Olympic gold medal came only in Sochi, 12 years after the triumph in Salt Lake City. After this great victory, Björndalen raises his own bar even higher from two years ago - the oldest winner of an individual race in biathlon, and this record already becomes an Olympic one. The great Norwegian gets another gold in the mixed relay, where he already becomes an eight-time Olympic champion and is compared in this indicator with skier Bjorn Deli. Ole Einar becomes the most decorated athlete in the history of the Winter Olympics, winning 13 medals, ahead of his idol Björn Deli.

At the closing ceremony of the Olympics, Björndalen deservedly carried the flag of his country and was officially elected to the IOC commission. Björndalen, together with Belarusian biathlete Daria Domracheva, were named the best athletes of the last Olympics.

At the end of the season, Björndalen shows a number of stable results with a place in the top 10. He won another podium (3rd place) in the pursuit race at the World Cup in Pokljuka, Slovenia. Also, the “great and terrible” celebrates an anniversary: ​​his record 400 race at the World Cup stages, which he ran in the second sprint of the Finnish Kontiolahti.

At the end of the season, Ole Einar takes a very high 6th place in the overall World Cup standings, which is much better than the result in the previous 4 seasons. And the speed of the “40-year-old junior” can be the envy of many elite and young biathletes, since Ole Einar entered the top 5 strongest for the entire season.

After a brilliant Olympics, Björndalen admits that he is still hungry for victories and feels the strength to win, and that is why he remains two more years before the World Championships in his native Oslo in 2016.

Before the season, Björndalen was aiming for experiments and therefore decided to change his regular ski poles to curved ones with an eye to increasing the efficiency of pushes and, accordingly, increasing the speed on the track. Following the results of the first stage in Östersund, he sensationally showed second speed in each race, but made a mistake at the turn. He ended up with 6th, 8th and 10th places in the first stage, but the following stages did not work out: he failed the sprint in Hochfilzen and fell ill, which is why he did not race until Christmas.

By 2015, Björndalen prepared at the highest level and managed to approach the German stages in good shape. In Oberhof, for the first time in a long time, he ran the last leg of the relay, but lost first place; the same thing happened in the sprint, where he was in the lead with one penalty, but lost in the last meters of the distance. As a result, he managed to achieve a silver double - his first podiums of the season.

At the World Championships in Kontiolahti, Björndalen took 5th, 6th and 4th places.

At the last stage of the World Cup, the Norwegians had problems with lubrication, and because of this, Björndalen was unable to compete for the podium in the sprint, where he shot clean for the third race in a row, but only took 9th place. After unsuccessful shooting in the pursuit race, Ole Einar fell ill and missed the mass start - the season ended in 14th place in the overall World Cup standings.

Ole Einar Bjoerndalen's height: 179 centimeters.

Personal life of Ole Einar Björndalen:

The biathlete lives in Obertilliach, Austria, in the federal state of Tyrol.

On May 27, 2006, he married Belgian biathlete of Italian origin Nathalie Santer. Have no children.

Ole Einar Bjoerndalen and Nathalie Santer

In October 2012, it was announced that Natalie and Ole Einar were divorcing after 6 years of marriage. The reason for the divorce was cited in the press as an affair with a Belarusian biathlete.

Ole Einar Bjoerndalen and Daria Domracheva

In April 2016, the biathlete announced that he and Domracheva would have a child.

An interesting fact about Björndalen is that he cares so much about cleanliness and his health that he carries a vacuum cleaner with him and rarely shakes hands. “Vacuum cleaners also occupy a special place in my life., - noted the athlete. - I take this thing with me everywhere". Björndalen also said that it was not his idea to ride with a vacuum cleaner, he adopted it from his older teammates.