Magdalena Forsberg facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Magdalena Forsberg

Magdalena Forsberg during the Swedish Sports Awards inside the Stockholm Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden in January 2014
Personal information
Birth name	Magdalena Wallin
Nickname(s)	Magda
Born	(1967-07-25) 25 July 1967 (age 57) Ullånger, Sweden
Height	1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
Professional information
Sport	Biathlon
Club	Sundsvall Biathlon
World Cup debut	8 December 1994
Retired	24 March 2002
Olympic Games
Teams	2 (1998, 2002)
Medals	2 (0 gold)
World Championships
Teams	8 (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002)
Medals	12 (6 gold)
World Cup
Seasons	8 (1994/95–2001/02)
Individual victories	42
Individual podiums	87
Overall titles	6 (1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02)
Discipline titles	17: 4 Individual (1997–98, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02); 5 Sprint (1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02); 6 Pursuit (1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02); 2 Mass start (2000–01, 2001–02)
Medal record Women's biathlon Representing  Sweden International biathlon competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 0 0 2 World Championships 6 1 5 Total 6 1 7 Olympic Games Bronze 2002 Salt Lake City 15 km individual Bronze 2002 Salt Lake City 7.5 km sprint World Championships Gold 1997 Brezno-Osrblie 15 km individual Gold 1997 Brezno-Osrblie 10 km pursuit Gold 1998 Pokljuka 10 km pursuit Gold 2000 Oslo 10 km pursuit Gold 2001 Pokljuka 15 km individual Gold 2001 Pokljuka 12.5 km mass start Silver 1999 Kontiolahti 7.5 km sprint Bronze 1996 Ruhpolding 7.5 km sprint Bronze 1997 Brezno-Osrblie 7.5 km sprint Bronze 1999 Oslo 12.5 km mass start Bronze 2000 Oslo 15 km individual Bronze 2001 Pokljuka 10 km pursuit Women's cross-country skiing Representing  Sweden World Championships Bronze 1987 Oberstdorf 4 × 5 km relay Junior World Championships Silver 1985 Täsch 3 × 5 km relay Bronze 1986 Lake Placid 3 × 5 km relay Bronze 1987 Asiago 15 km

Magdalena "Magda" Forsberg, born on July 25, 1967, is a famous Swedish athlete. She used to compete in two winter sports: cross-country skiing and biathlon. From 1997 to 2002, she was the best female biathlete in the world. She won the Biathlon World Cup six times in a row! Magda also won six World Championship gold medals and two bronze medals at the Winter Olympics. She holds the record for the most World Cup wins in women's biathlon.

Magdalena is married to Henrik Forsberg, who was also a biathlete and cross-country skier. They got married in 1996.

Magda's Sports Career

Magdalena Forsberg was amazing in two different winter sports. She started as a cross-country skier and then became a biathlete.

Cross-Country Skiing

Magda competed in cross-country skiing from 1988 to 1996. She took part in the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup. Her best result at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville was finishing seventh in a team relay race. She also came in 26th in a 15 km individual race.

At the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, her best individual finish was tenth in a 30 km race in 1989. In 1987, she helped the Swedish team win a bronze medal in the 4 × 5 km relay. Her best World Cup finish was second place in a 10 km race in Finland in 1988.

Biathlon Success

Magdalena Forsberg competed in biathlon from 1993 to 2002. She was incredibly successful! She won the overall Biathlon World Cup title six times in a row, from 1997 to 2002.

She also won six gold medals at the Biathlon World Championships. She earned one silver medal and five bronze medals at these championships. At the 2002 Winter Olympics, Magda won two bronze medals. Throughout her career, she won a total of 42 individual Biathlon World Cup races. This is more than any other female biathlete has ever achieved!

Magdalena Forsberg stopped competing professionally after the 2001–02 season. Four years later, in April 2006, she made a short comeback. She had lost a bet with fellow biathlete Anna Carin Olofsson-Zidek. The bet was that if Anna Carin won an Olympic gold medal in 2006, Magda would join her in the Swedish Championship in Women's Relay. They won the competition, with Magda taking an early lead and Anna Carin extending it.

During much of her career, Magda was coached by Wolfgang Pichler. He later became the coach for the Swedish national biathlon team.

Life After Sports

After retiring from sports, Magdalena Forsberg didn't stop learning. She took a business class at the Johan Cruyff Institute in Stockholm. She studied alongside other famous athletes, like footballer Mathias Jönsson and golfer Per-Ulrik Johansson. She also learned more about tax laws.

Other Achievements

Magda Forsberg competed in both biathlon and cross-country skiing at the 1998 Winter Olympics. She is the only Swedish athlete to have won the Jerring Award four times. This award is given to the best Swedish sports performance of the year, chosen by public vote.

Biathlon Results

All results are from the International Biathlon Union.

Olympic Games Medals

2 medals (2 bronze)

Event	Individual	Sprint	Pursuit	Relay
1998 Nagano	14th	17th	N/A	10th
2002 Salt Lake City	Bronze	Bronze	6th	—

*The Pursuit event was added in 2002.

World Championships Medals

12 medals (6 gold, 1 silver, 5 bronze)

Event	Individual	Sprint	Pursuit	Mass start	Team	Relay
1995 Antholz-Anterselva	7th	19th	N/A	N/A	—	14th
1996 Ruhpolding	15th	Bronze	N/A	N/A	9th	10th
1997 Brezno-Osrblie	Gold	Bronze	Gold	N/A	11th	16th
1998 Pokljuka	N/A	N/A	Gold	N/A	7th	N/A
1999 Kontiolahti	6th	Silver	5th	Bronze	N/A	—
2000 Oslo Holmenkollen	Bronze	4th	Gold	4th	N/A	13th
2001 Pokljuka	Gold	6th	Bronze	Gold	N/A	—
2002 Oslo Holmenkollen	N/A	N/A	N/A	8th	N/A	N/A

*During Olympic years, competitions are only held for events not included in the Olympics.

**Team events were removed in 1998. Pursuit was added in 1997, and Mass Start in 1999.

Individual Biathlon Wins

42 victories (7 Individual, 13 Sprint, 19 Pursuit, 3 Mass Start)

Season	Date	Location	Discipline	Level
1994–95 1 victory (1 Sp)	28 January 1995	Ruhpolding	7.5 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
1995–96 1 victory (1 In)	14 December 1995	Oslo Holmenkollen	15 km individual	Biathlon World Cup
1996–97 4 victories (1 In, 1 Sp, 2 Pu)	4 January 1997	Oberhof	7.5 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
	5 January 1997	Oberhof	10 km pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
	2 February 1997	Brezno-Osrblie	10 km pursuit	Biathlon World Championships
	7 February 1997	Brezno-Osrblie	15 km individual	Biathlon World Championships
1997–98 6 victories (1 In, 3 Sp, 2 Pu)	13 December 1997	Östersund	7.5 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
	20 December 1997	Kontiolahti	10 km pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
	8 January 1998	Ruhpolding	7.5 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
	3 March 1998	Pokljuka	15 km individual	Biathlon World Cup
	7 March 1998	Pokljuka	7.5 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
	8 March 1998	Pokljuka	10 km pursuit	Biathlon World Championships
1998–99 4 victories (2 Sp, 2 Pu)	11 December 1998	Hochfilzen	7.5 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
	12 December 1998	Hochfilzen	10 km pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
	25 February 1999	Lake Placid	7.5 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
	6 March 1999	Valcartier	10 km pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
1999–2000 3 victories (1 Sp, 2 Pu)	9 December 1999	Pokljuka	7.5 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
	20 February 2000	Oslo Holmenkollen	10 km pursuit	Biathlon World Championships
	18 March 2000	Khanty-Mansiysk	10 km pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
2000–01 14 victories (2 In, 4 Sp, 6 Pu, 2 MS)	8 December 2000	Antholz-Anterselva	10 km pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
	16 December 2000	Antholz-Anterselva	7.5 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
	17 December 2000	Antholz-Anterselva	10 km pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
	5 January 2001	Oberhof	7.5 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
	6 January 2001	Oberhof	10 km pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
	7 January 2001	Oberhof	12.5 km mass start	Biathlon World Cup
	13 January 2001	Ruhpolding	7.5 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
	14 January 2001	Ruhpolding	10 km pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
	18 January 2001	Antholz-Anterselva	7.5 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
	6 February 2001	Pokljuka	15 km individual	Biathlon World Championships
	9 February 2001	Pokljuka	12.5 km mass start	Biathlon World Championships
	28 February 2001	Salt Lake City	15 km individual	Biathlon World Cup
	3 March 2001	Salt Lake City	10 km pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
	17 March 2001	Oslo Holmenkollen	10 km pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
2001–02 9 victories (2 In, 1 Sp, 5 Pu, 1 MS)	6 December 2001	Hochfilzen	7.5 km sprint	Biathlon World Cup
	9 December 2001	Hochfilzen	10 km pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
	12 December 2001	Pokljuka	15 km individual	Biathlon World Cup
	16 December 2001	Pokljuka	10 km pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
	20 December 2001	Brezno-Osrblie	15 km individual	Biathlon World Cup
	22 December 2001	Brezno-Osrblie	12.5 km mass start	Biathlon World Cup
	11 January 2002	Oberhof	10 km pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
	10 March 2002	Östersund	10 km pursuit	Biathlon World Cup
	23 March 2002	Oslo Holmenkollen	10 km pursuit	Biathlon World Cup

*These results include races from the Biathlon World Cup, Biathlon World Championships, and the Winter Olympic Games.

Cross-Country Skiing Results

All results are from the International Ski Federation (FIS).

Olympic Games Cross-Country

World Championships Cross-Country

• 1 medal – (1 bronze)

World Cup Cross-Country Podiums

Individual Podiums

• 1 podium

No.	Season	Date	Location	Race	Level	Place
1	1987–88	27 March 1988	Rovaniemi, Finland	10 km Individual F	World Cup	2nd

Team Podiums

• 2 podiums

No.	Season	Date	Location	Race	Level	Place	Teammates
1	1986–87	17 February 1987	Oberstdorf, West Germany	4 × 5 km Relay F	World Championships	3rd	Lamberg-Skog / Dahlman / Westin
2	1988–89	12 March 1989	Falun, Sweden	4 × 5 km Relay C	World Cup	3rd	Svingstedt / Lamberg-Skog / Fritzon

Note: Until the 1999 World Championships, World Championship races were included in the World Cup scoring system.

Images for kids

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  Magdalena Forsberg during the Swedish Sports Awards

See also

In Spanish: Magdalena Forsberg para niños