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Magdalena Forsberg
Magdalena Forsberg in Jan 2014.jpg
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 56)
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 (née Wallin; born 25 July 1967) is a Swedish former cross-country skier and biathlete. She was the dominating female biathlete from 1997 to 2002, when she retired, winning the Biathlon World Cup for six years straight. She is also a six-times world champion, a two-times Olympic bronze medalist, and holds the record for the most World Cup victories in women's biathlon.

She has been married to Henrik Forsberg, also a biathlete and cross-country skier, since mid-1996.

Cross-country skiing

Forsberg competed as a cross country skier from 1988 to 1996, participating in the World Cup. Her best results at the Winter Olympics were in Albertville in 1992 where she finished seventh in the 4 × 5 km relay and 26th in the 15 km event.

Forsberg's best individual finish at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships was tenth in the 30 km event at Lahti in 1989. In 1987 she was in the Swedish team that finished third in the 4 × 5 km relay. Her best World cup finish was second in a 10 km event in Finland in 1988.

She participated as a celebrity dancer in Let's Dance 2019, which was broadcast on TV4. She placed second.

Biathlon

Competing from 1993 to 2002, Forsberg won six straight overall wins in the Biathlon World Cup from 1997 to 2002. She also won six gold medals in the World Championships, became runner-up once, and placed third five times. At the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, Forsberg won two bronze medals. In her career she managed a total of 42 individual Biathlon World Cup wins, which is more than any other female biathlete to date.

Magdalena Forsberg retired from active sports after the 2001–02 season. After being retired for four years she made a temporary comeback in April 2006 due to losing a bet. The bet said Forsberg would enter the Swedish Championship in Women's Relay with fellow biathlon skier Anna Carin Olofsson-Zidek if the latter won an Olympic gold in Turin. The duo went on to win the competition, Forsberg outrunning her competitors in the first leg and Olofsson extending their lead in the second.

During large parts of her career, Forsberg was trained by Wolfgang Pichler, who later took over as coach of the national Swedish biathlon team.

Post retirement

After retirement, Forsberg, along with Peter Forsberg, footballer Mathias Jönsson, and golfer Per-Ulrik Johansson enrolled in a business class at the Johan Cruyff Institute in Stockholm. She received additional education in the field of tax legislation.

Other honours

Forsberg competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics both as a biathlete and as a cross country skier. She is the only Swedish athlete to have been awarded the Jerring Award four times.

Biathlon results

All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union.

Olympic Games

2 medals (2 bronze)

Event Individual Sprint Pursuit Relay
Japan 1998 Nagano 14th 17th N/A 10th
United States 2002 Salt Lake City Bronze Bronze 6th
*Pursuit was added as an event in 2002.

World Championships

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

Event Individual Sprint Pursuit Mass start Team Relay
Italy 1995 Antholz-Anterselva 7th 19th N/A N/A 14th
Germany 1996 Ruhpolding 15th Bronze N/A N/A 9th 10th
Slovakia 1997 Brezno-Osrblie Gold Bronze Gold N/A 11th 16th
Slovenia 1998 Pokljuka N/A N/A Gold N/A 7th N/A
Finland 1999 Kontiolahti 6th Silver 5th Bronze N/A
Norway 2000 Oslo Holmenkollen Bronze 4th Gold 4th N/A 13th
Slovenia 2001 Pokljuka Gold 6th Bronze Gold N/A
Norway 2002 Oslo Holmenkollen N/A N/A N/A 8th N/A N/A
*During Olympic seasons competitions are only held for those events not included in the Olympic program.
**Team was removed as an event in 1998, and pursuit was added in 1997 with mass start being added in 1999.

Individual victories

42 victories (7 In, 13 Sp, 19 Pu, 3 MS)

Season Date Location Discipline Level
1994–95
1 victory
(1 Sp)
28 January 1995 Germany Ruhpolding 7.5 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
1995–96
1 victory
(1 In)
14 December 1995 Norway Oslo Holmenkollen 15 km individual Biathlon World Cup
1996–97
4 victories
(1 In, 1 Sp, 2 Pu)
4 January 1997 Germany Oberhof 7.5 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
5 January 1997 Germany Oberhof 10 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
2 February 1997 Slovakia Brezno-Osrblie 10 km pursuit Biathlon World Championships
7 February 1997 Slovakia Brezno-Osrblie 15 km individual Biathlon World Championships
1997–98
6 victories
(1 In, 3 Sp, 2 Pu)
13 December 1997 Sweden Östersund 7.5 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
20 December 1997 Finland Kontiolahti 10 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
8 January 1998 Germany Ruhpolding 7.5 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
3 March 1998 Slovenia Pokljuka 15 km individual Biathlon World Cup
7 March 1998 Slovenia Pokljuka 7.5 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
8 March 1998 Slovenia Pokljuka 10 km pursuit Biathlon World Championships
1998–99
4 victories
(2 Sp, 2 Pu)
11 December 1998 Austria Hochfilzen 7.5 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
12 December 1998 Austria Hochfilzen 10 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
25 February 1999 United States Lake Placid 7.5 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
6 March 1999 Canada Valcartier 10 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
1999–2000
3 victories
(1 Sp, 2 Pu)
9 December 1999 Slovenia Pokljuka 7.5 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
20 February 2000 Norway Oslo Holmenkollen 10 km pursuit Biathlon World Championships
18 March 2000 Russia Khanty-Mansiysk 10 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
2000–01
14 victories
(2 In, 4 Sp, 6 Pu, 2 MS)
8 December 2000 Italy Antholz-Anterselva 10 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
16 December 2000 Italy Antholz-Anterselva 7.5 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
17 December 2000 Italy Antholz-Anterselva 10 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
5 January 2001 Germany Oberhof 7.5 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
6 January 2001 Germany Oberhof 10 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
7 January 2001 Germany Oberhof 12.5 km mass start Biathlon World Cup
13 January 2001 Germany Ruhpolding 7.5 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
14 January 2001 Germany Ruhpolding 10 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
18 January 2001 Italy Antholz-Anterselva 7.5 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
6 February 2001 Slovenia Pokljuka 15 km individual Biathlon World Championships
9 February 2001 Slovenia Pokljuka 12.5 km mass start Biathlon World Championships
28 February 2001 United States Salt Lake City 15 km individual Biathlon World Cup
3 March 2001 United States Salt Lake City 10 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
17 March 2001 Norway Oslo Holmenkollen 10 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
2001–02
9 victories
(2 In, 1 Sp, 5 Pu, 1 MS)
6 December 2001 Austria Hochfilzen 7.5 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
9 December 2001 Austria Hochfilzen 10 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
12 December 2001 Slovenia Pokljuka 15 km individual Biathlon World Cup
16 December 2001 Slovenia Pokljuka 10 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
20 December 2001 Slovakia Brezno-Osrblie 15 km individual Biathlon World Cup
22 December 2001 Slovakia Brezno-Osrblie 12.5 km mass start Biathlon World Cup
11 January 2002 Germany Oberhof 10 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
10 March 2002 Sweden Östersund 10 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
23 March 2002 Norway Oslo Holmenkollen 10 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
*Results are from UIPMB and IBU races which include the Biathlon World Cup, Biathlon World Championships and the Winter Olympic Games.

Cross-country skiing results

World Cup career
Seasons 7 – (1988–1994)
Individual wins 0
Team wins 0
Indiv. podiums 1
Team podiums 2
Indiv. starts 31
Team starts 5
Overall titles 0 – (17th in 1989)

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

Olympic Games

 Year   Age   5 km   15 km   Pursuit   30 km   4 × 5 km 
 relay 
1992 24 26 34 7
1998 28 8

World Championships

  • 1 medal – (1 bronze)
 Year   Age   5 km   10 km 
 classical 
 10 km 
 freestyle 
 15 km   20 km   30 km   4 × 5 km 
 relay 
1987 19 N/A N/A N/A Bronze
1989 21 N/A 18 17 N/A 10 4
1991 23 N/A N/A 6

World Cup

Season standings

 Season   Age  Overall
1988 21 20
1989 22 17
1990 23 21
1991 24 29
1992 25 NC
1993 26 55
1994 27 NC

Individual podiums

  • 1 podium
No. Season Date Location Race Level Place
1  1987–88  27 March 1988 Finland 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 West Germany Oberstdorf, West Germany 4 × 5 km Relay F World Championships 3rd Lamberg-Skog / Dahlman / Westin
2  1988–89  12 March 1989 Sweden 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.

See also

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