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Magdalena Neuner

Magdalena Neuner in Wallgau, Germany, in April 2011
Personal information
Birth name	Magdalena Neuner
Born	(1987-02-09) 9 February 1987 (age 38) Garmisch-Partenkirchen, West Germany
Height	5 ft 5 in
Professional information
Sport	Biathlon
Club	SC Wallgau
World Cup debut	13 January 2006
Retired	18 March 2012
Olympic Games
Teams	1 (2010)
Medals	3 (2 gold)
World Championships
Teams	6 (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
Medals	17 (12 gold)
World Cup
Seasons	7
Individual victories	34
Individual podiums	63
Overall titles	3
Discipline titles	7
Medal record Women's biathlon Representing  Germany Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games (3 medals) 2 1 0 World Championships (17 medals) 12 4 1 Junior/Youth World Championships (11 medals) 7 4 0 Total (31 medals) 21 9 1 Olympic Games Gold 2010 Vancouver 10 km pursuit Gold 2010 Vancouver 12.5 km mass start Silver 2010 Vancouver 7.5 km sprint World Championships Gold 2007 Antholz-Anterselva 7.5 km sprint Gold 2007 Antholz-Anterselva 10 km pursuit Gold 2007 Antholz-Anterselva 4 × 6 km relay Gold 2008 Östersund 12.5 km mass start Gold 2008 Östersund 4 × 6 km relay Gold 2008 Östersund Mixed relay Gold 2010 Khanty-Mansiysk Mixed relay Gold 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk 7.5 km sprint Gold 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk 12.5 km mass start Gold 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk 4 × 6 km relay Gold 2012 Ruhpolding 7.5 km sprint Gold 2012 Ruhpolding 4 × 6 km relay Silver 2009 Pyeongchang 4 × 6 km relay Silver 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk 10 km pursuit Silver 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk Mixed relay Silver 2012 Ruhpolding 10 km pursuit Bronze 2012 Ruhpolding Mixed relay Junior World Championships Gold 2004 Haute Maurienne 7.5 km sprint Gold 2004 Haute Maurienne 3 × 6 km relay Gold 2005 Kontiolahti 7.5 km sprint Gold 2006 Presque Isle 10 km pursuit Gold 2006 Presque Isle 3 × 6 km relay Gold 2008 Ruhpolding 7.5 km sprint Gold 2008 Ruhpolding 10 km pursuit Silver 2004 Haute Maurienne 10 km pursuit Silver 2005 Kontiolahti 10 km pursuit Silver 2005 Kontiolahti 3 × 6 km relay Silver 2006 Presque Isle 7.5 km sprint European Championships Bronze 2006 Langdorf Relay
Updated on 18 March 2012.

Magdalena "Lena" Neuner (born 9 February 1987) is a retired German professional biathlete. Biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.

Magdalena is the most successful woman ever at the Biathlon World Championships, winning 12 gold medals. She also won two Olympic gold medals. At just 21 years old, she became the youngest person to win the Overall World Cup title in biathlon history. She won 34 World Cup races, which is the second-highest number of wins for a woman. She won the Overall World Cup title three times: in 2007–08, 2009–10, and 2011–12. Magdalena retired from the sport in March 2012, at only 25 years old. She said she wanted a normal life and felt she had achieved her goals.

Magdalena started biathlon when she was nine. She won five junior world championship titles between 2004 and 2006. She first competed in the World Cup in 2006 and won her first World Cup race in January 2007. A month later, she won three gold medals at her first Biathlon World Championships. In the 2007–08 season, she won the Overall World Cup and three more titles at the 2008 World Championships.

After a less successful year in 2008–09, she competed in her first Winter Olympic Games in 2010. There, she won gold medals in the pursuit and mass start races, and a silver medal in the sprint. She also won the 2009–10 Overall World Cup title. At the 2011 World Championships, she won three more gold medals. In her last season, she won two more titles at the 2012 World Championships and claimed the Overall World Cup for a third time.

During her seven years in the World Cup, Magdalena won 34 individual races and finished on the podium 63 times. With the German team, she won ten relay races and three mixed relay events. She earned 17 medals at six Biathlon World Championships: twelve gold, four silver, and one bronze. She also won seven junior world championship titles. Magdalena was known for being one of the fastest cross-country skiers in biathlon. She sometimes had trouble with her shooting, especially in the standing position, which could cost her better results.

Magdalena has lived in the village of Wallgau, Germany, since she was born. When she was 16, she joined the German Customs Administration's ski team, which is supported by the government. After winning three world championship gold medals in 2007, she became one of Germany's most popular female athletes. She was named German Sportswoman of the Year in 2007, 2011, and 2012.

Early Life

Magdalena Neuner was born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a German alpine town. She was the second of four children. Her parents were Paul and Margit Neuner.

She has an older brother, Paul, and two younger siblings, Christoph and Anna. Her sister Anna is also a biathlete who competes in junior events.

Magdalena grew up in Wallgau, a small village in Bavaria. It's about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Garmisch-Partenkirchen. She started alpine skiing at age four. Later, she tried other winter sports at her local ski club, SC Wallgau. At 16, Magdalena finished high school. She decided to become a professional biathlete. Her parents were unsure at first, but they supported her dream.

Career Highlights

Starting Out and First World Cup Races

Magdalena started biathlon when she was nine years old. She took part in a try-out course at her local ski club. She won 29 races at the German Ski Association's Student's Cup. She won the overall title in her age group for four years in a row, from 1999 to 2002. After school, Magdalena joined the German Customs Administration in August 2003. This made her a member of the government-supported Customs-Ski-Team. She is a full-time athlete, even though she has a customs officer rank. One of her teammates was alpine skiing world champion Maria Höfl-Riesch.

In December 2003, Magdalena won the German Cup for 17-year-olds. This helped her join the 2003–04 European Cup for juniors. She won four races at the European level. This qualified her for the 2004 Junior/Youth World Championships in France. There, she won the sprint and relay events, and a silver medal in the pursuit. A year later, at the 2005 Junior/Youth World Championships in Finland, she won two silver medals (pursuit and relay) and another sprint title. Because of her success as a junior, Magdalena, at 18, was seen as one of Germany's biggest biathlon talents ever. She even signed a sponsorship deal before winning any senior races.

Neuner at the World Cup in Antholz, January 2006

Magdalena first competed in the Biathlon World Cup during the 2005–06 season. Germany's women's coach had thought about adding her to the team two years earlier. However, her parents and coaches wanted her to wait. On January 13, 2006, Magdalena made her World Cup debut in a sprint race in Ruhpolding, Germany. She finished 41st, but she was chosen for nine more World Cup races that season.

Magdalena returned to the 2006 Junior/Youth World Championships in the United States as a favorite. She won two more titles (pursuit and relay) and a silver medal in the sprint. She did not compete in the 2006 Winter Olympics. At the World Cup in Finland in March 2006, Magdalena achieved her first top ten finishes. She was fourth in the sprint and ninth in the mass start race.

Three World Championship Titles (2006–07)

Magdalena became a regular member of the German team in the 2006–07 season. She was one of the fastest cross-country skiers in biathlon. At 19, she often had the fastest course times. On January 5, 2007, Magdalena won her first World Cup event. It was the sprint race in Oberhof. Her victory at home, in front of 19,000 fans, got a lot of media attention. Two days later, in the pursuit race, she forgot to reload her rifle. She still finished third despite six shooting mistakes.

Magdalena was supposed to compete at the junior world championships in 2007. But after her first World Cup win, she was chosen for the senior World Championships in Italy. On February 3, 2007, she won gold in the sprint. It was her first world championship event and only her second senior victory. A day later, she also won the pursuit title, even with four shooting errors. After finishing 14th in the mass start, Magdalena also won gold in the relay race. She was the most successful athlete at the championships with three titles. She became the youngest triple world champion.

She continued her success with four more World Cup wins at the end of the season. In March 2007, Magdalena won the pursuit and mass start races in Norway. She also won the sprint and pursuit events at the season final in Russia. This gave her seven career World Cup wins. She finished her first full season fourth in the Overall World Cup standings. She was second in the pursuit discipline. In just three months, Magdalena became one of Germany's most popular female athletes. By the end of 2007, she had earned about 1.3 million euros from sponsorships.

Winning the Overall World Cup (2007–08)

After missing the podium in the first two World Cups of the 2007–08 season, Magdalena was part of Germany's winning relay team in December 2007. She won her eighth World Cup race in the mass start in Oberhof in January 2008. Later that month, she won the relay race in Ruhpolding with the German team. Just before her 21st birthday, Magdalena decided to compete again at the Junior/Youth World Championships in Ruhpolding. She won gold in the sprint and pursuit. She skipped the individual race to prepare for the senior world championships.

Neuner in the yellow bib of the Overall World Cup leader, March 2008

Before the 2008 World Championships in Sweden, Magdalena tried to lower expectations. She said it would be impossible to repeat her performance from last year. She did not defend her sprint and pursuit titles due to shooting errors. She finished 17th and sixth. On February 12, 2008, she won the mixed relay with her teammates. This was her first gold medal there. Four days later, she won her second title in the mass start. She beat Norway's Tora Berger by 3.0 seconds. She had four shooting errors compared to Berger's one. She skied side by side with Berger for most of the last lap. She later called it her hardest-fought victory. Magdalena also won gold in the relay race on February 17, 2008. By winning three more titles, she became the youngest six-time world champion. This confirmed her status as Germany's biggest biathlon star.

In the next World Cups, she won sprint races in South Korea and Russia. These were her tenth and eleventh World Cup victories. With a second-place finish in the mass start race, Magdalena won the 2007–08 Mass Start World Cup. At the season final in Oslo, she also won the Sprint World Cup. She took over the yellow bib as the Overall World Cup leader for the first time. In the last race of the season, a ninth place in the mass start secured her the 2007–08 Overall Biathlon World Cup victory. She was the youngest Overall World Cup winner since the International Biathlon Union started in 1993.

Challenges and Comebacks (2008–09)

Magdalena's training for the 2008–09 season was affected by illnesses. In the summer, she had an intestinal fungus. This made her stop training for seven weeks. She later said it was due to pressure from public expectations. In October 2008, she got the flu. In November, a bacterial infection caused her to miss two weeks of training. Because of this, her skiing speed dropped a lot at the start of the season. In the first four World Cups, Magdalena only got two individual podiums. This was unusual, as they were due to good shooting, not her fast skiing.

Neuner leaves the shooting range at the World Cup in Antholz, January 2009

After the Christmas break, her skiing times improved. In Ruhpolding in January 2009, Magdalena was part of the winning German relay team. She beat her teammate Kati Wilhelm by 0.2 seconds in the Ruhpolding sprint. She also won the next pursuit event. These were her twelfth and thirteenth World Cup wins. Magdalena again missed the podium in Antholz. She was leading the mass start by 53.6 seconds before the final shooting. But she missed all five targets, finishing sixth. This result got a lot of public attention. She later called it a key moment in her career and the "total end of the world."

Magdalena faced more challenges at the 2009 World Championships in South Korea. She struggled with a cold and many shooting errors. She finished eighth in the sprint, where she fell on a downhill slope. She was eleventh in the pursuit race. She was not chosen for the individual race. She couldn't start the mixed relay because of her cold. On February 21, 2009, Magdalena won silver as part of Germany's women's relay team. On the last day of the championships, she finished seventh in the mass start race.

At the Olympic practice event in Canada in March 2009, Magdalena won the 2008–09 Individual World Cup. This was despite never having won a race in that specific event. She also won the Vancouver relay race with the German team. She was second in the sprint, just 0.7 seconds behind Sweden's Helena Ekholm. At the season final in Russia, Magdalena won the pursuit race. This was her 14th World Cup win. She ended the season fourth in the Overall Biathlon World Cup. The media generally saw this as disappointing.

Magdalena later said that the 2008–09 season was very hard for her mentally. This was due to public expectations and constant media attention. She even thought about retiring for a short time. She started working with a psychologist. She also reduced her media appearances as much as possible that summer.

Double Olympic Champion (2009–10)

Magdalena competed at the Summer Biathlon World Championships for the first time in September 2009. They were held in Oberhof. She didn't really want to interrupt her training for the summer event, which uses roller skis. However, she went on to win gold in all three competitions: sprint, pursuit, and mixed relay. Magdalena missed the first World Cup of the 2009–10 season in December 2009 due to a cold. She returned at the next races but was still affected by her cold. She finished outside the top 20. Her first podium finishes of the winter came in Slovenia. She finished third in the sprint and second in the pursuit. This secured her spot on the German Olympic team.

Neuner shortly before crossing the finish line during the Olympic mass start race

Just before the Oberhof sprint in January 2010, Magdalena hurt her back during warm-up. She had to withdraw from the race. She returned in Ruhpolding, where she finished third in both the sprint and the mass start. In her first relay of the season, she had two penalty loops. This caused the German team to finish fourth. With some top competitors missing in Italy, Magdalena won two events: her first individual race and the sprint. This gave her 16 career World Cup wins. She also finished second in the pursuit, marking her seventh straight podium finish.

Magdalena went into her first Winter Olympics in Vancouver aiming for a gold medal. On February 13, 2010, she competed in the opening sprint. The conditions were rainy. With one shooting error, Magdalena won the silver medal. She finished 1.5 seconds behind Slovakia's Anastasiya Kuzmina. She unusually lost five seconds to Kuzmina on the cross-country course. This led to talk in the German media about her ski preparation. Three days later, Magdalena won gold in the pursuit race. Even though she missed two targets in the standing position, she beat sprint winner Kuzmina by 12.3 seconds. In her third Olympic event, she finished tenth in the individual race. She had three shooting mistakes. She said it was hard to focus again after winning her first gold medal. On February 21, 2010, Magdalena won her second gold medal of the Games in the mass start. After missing two targets, she was behind by 29 seconds. But she skied fast, and a perfect final standing shoot allowed her to pass Russia's Olga Zaitseva on the last lap. After the race, Magdalena announced she would not participate in the relay. She said she was mentally tired and wanted her teammates to have a chance to win a medal. Her withdrawal allowed her friend Martina Beck to compete in her last Olympic Games. Magdalena was Germany's most successful athlete in Vancouver. She was chosen to carry the German flag at the closing ceremony.

After her Olympic success, Magdalena continued her good form. She finished all remaining races in the top ten. She was second in the pursuit in Finland. She was third in Oslo's mass start race. This increased her World Cup lead after she took over the yellow bib in Vancouver. Magdalena ended the season with her 19th World Cup win in Russia's mass start. This secured her the 2009–10 Overall World Cup. She became the first German woman to win the Biathlon World Cup twice. She also won the pursuit and mass start discipline World Cups. In the last event of the winter, the Mixed Relay World Championship, she won gold with her teammates. This was her seventh world title.

Becoming a Record World Champion (2010–11)

During the summer, Magdalena admitted she was struggling for motivation. She had won every major title in the sport by only 23 years old. However, she promised to continue her career at least until the 2012 world championships. In December 2010, she had a cold. She missed the first World Cup of the 2010–11 season for the second year in a row. She started the season in Austria, where she finished seventh twice. She was also part of the winning German relay team. At the third stop of the season in Slovenia, she won the sprint race despite two shooting errors. This was her 20th career victory.

Neuner with her ten Biathlon World Championships gold medals

Magdalena continued the winter with mixed results in January 2011. She reached the podium in the sprints in Oberhof and Ruhpolding, finishing second and third. In the relay in Oberhof, Magdalena's team finished sixth. This was the team's worst result since 2005. She also had her worst personal result in 13 months, finishing 16th in the Ruhpolding individual race. This ended her streak of 24 straight top ten finishes. At the World Cup in Italy, Magdalena again struggled with illness. She only competed in the mass start, finishing sixth.

At the World Cup stops in February in the United States, Magdalena felt better and showed more consistency. Her worst result was a sixth-place finish. In Presque Isle, she won the mixed relay as part of the German team. A week later in Fort Kent, Magdalena finished all three races on the podium. She was third in the sprint, second in the pursuit, and won her 21st World Cup race in the mass start. This was the last race before the world championships.

At the 2011 World Championships in Russia, Magdalena won three gold and two silver medals. She won silver in the opening mixed relay with her teammates. On March 5, 2011, Magdalena won the sprint race with perfect shooting. She finished second in the pursuit and fifth in the individual race. On March 12, 2011, Magdalena won her second title in the mass start despite four shooting errors. The next day, she also won gold in the women's relay. Running the last part for Germany, Magdalena started in fourth place, 67.5 seconds behind the leader. But she caught up and moved into the lead on the last lap. Her five medals made her the most successful female athlete in the history of Biathlon World Championships.

The season ended in disappointment for Magdalena in Oslo. After winning her 24th career race in the sprint, she was second in the Overall World Cup ranking. However, she got a cold again and had to withdraw from the pursuit race. This ended her hopes of winning the World Cup title again. She finished fifth in the overall standings, having missed five of the season's 26 races.

Her Last World Cup Winter (2011–12)

Before the start of the 2011–12 season, Magdalena hinted that it might be her last. She began the winter with her best season start ever. She beat Tora Berger by 0.2 seconds in the sprint to win her 25th World Cup race. She also finished third in the individual and pursuit races. She took the yellow bib as the Overall World Cup leader. On December 6, 2011, Magdalena announced on her website that she would retire from biathlon at the end of the season. She explained her early retirement (at age 25) was due to a lack of motivation and a desire for a normal life. Magdalena continued her good form in Austria, where she won her 26th World Cup race in the sprint.

After Christmas, Magdalena won both individual races in Oberhof. These were her 27th and 28th World Cup wins. In the women's relay, she had four penalties in the final shooting, which prevented a German victory. Magdalena had one of the biggest mistakes of her career when she shot at the wrong targets in the Nove Mesto pursuit. She dropped from first to seventh place. She recovered quickly by winning the sprint race in Italy a week later. In February, Magdalena won both the sprint and pursuit in Oslo, even though she had a cold. The cold forced her to withdraw from the mass start. At the last World Cup stop before the world championships, she achieved her sixth sprint win of the season. She extended her World Cup lead over Darya Domracheva.

At the 2012 World Championships in Ruhpolding, Magdalena won bronze in the opening mixed relay. On March 3, 2012, she won her 11th world title in the sprint race with perfect shooting. Magdalena dropped to second place a day later in the pursuit. Domracheva passed her at the final shooting. During the second week of the championships, Magdalena often struggled with her shooting. She only reached 23rd place in the individual race. This was her worst world championships result ever. With her teammates, she won her second gold medal in Ruhpolding in the women's relay on March 10, 2012. This was despite having a penalty loop. In the final mass start, Magdalena finished tenth, with six shooting mistakes. Her 12th gold medal made her the second most successful biathlete ever at world championships. Only Ole Einar Bjørndalen has more.

Magdalena had led the standings since the second race of the winter. She won her third Overall World Cup title at the season final in Russia. There, she claimed her 34th and final World Cup win in the sprint. Magdalena also won the 2011–12 Sprint World Cup. This was thanks to an amazing eight out of ten sprint wins. With ten victories in total, her final World Cup season was her most successful. She also became only the second woman, after Magdalena Forsberg, to win the overall title more than twice. On March 18, 2012, Magdalena ended her biathlon career with a sixth place in the mass start.

Skiing Skills

Neuner skies uphill at a World Cup race in Trondheim, March 2009

Magdalena Neuner was one of the fastest female cross-country skiers in biathlon. In 66 of her 151 World Cup races (44%), she had the fastest course time. This means she was the quickest on the skis, not counting time spent shooting or in penalty loops. Also, she was among the top three fastest skiers in 77% of her career races.

In her first World Cup races in the 2005–06 season, Magdalena had average ski times. Her best was fourth fastest in a pursuit race. During her first full season in 2006–07, she was among the top three fastest skiers in 19 of her 24 races. She was the fastest in seven of them. Magdalena won the 2007–08 World Cup with very strong skiing. She had the fastest course time in 19 of her 25 races. She was second or third fastest in the other six. At the start of the 2008–09 season, her ski times dropped due to illnesses. However, she recovered and had the fastest course time in 14 of the remaining 18 races from January onwards. In the 2009–10 Olympic season, Magdalena started slowly in December. But she came back, finishing among the top three fastest skiers in 17 of her 21 races. She had her second best winter in 2010–11. She had the fastest or second fastest skiing time in 90% of her 21 races.

Magdalena was a fast cross-country skier from a young age. When she was eight, she won her first cross-country skiing competition. As a junior, her lap times were similar to older or male competitors. At 15, Magdalena could ski as fast as her male training partners of the same age. To prepare for the 2006–07 season, she skied 5300 kilometers (3293 miles) in training. She increased this to 6000 kilometers (3728 miles) for the 2007–08 season. Because she was so fast on skis, she could often make up for one, two, or even three shooting errors. A penalty loop is 150 meters (164 yards) long and usually takes 21 to 26 seconds.

In three of her 32 World Cup wins, Magdalena skied three extra penalty loops compared to the second-place finisher. In March 2008, she finished second in a mass start race, even though she completed five penalty loops. She also got third place in a pursuit race in January 2007 with six missed targets. In her first World Cup victory in the individual discipline in January 2010, she made up for a two-minute time penalty. This was due to two extra shooting errors on the 15-kilometer (9-mile) cross-country course.

Skiing Statistics

Neuner using the cross-country skating technique, March 2009

*Key:Number of respective times achieved / number of all races entered, percentage. Results in IBU World Cup races, no relay events.

**Statistics as of 18 March 2012.

Shooting Skills

Neuner shooting at the World Cup in Trondheim, March 2009.

Magdalena Neuner had a career shooting accuracy of 78%. Her average for shooting while lying down (prone position) was 88%. However, her average for shooting while standing (standing position) was 67%. Her prone shooting was similar to other top athletes. But standing shooting was her weak point for a long time. Her hit rate was usually below average compared to other World Cup competitors. However, it got much better in her later seasons.

With 78% accuracy, Magdalena had good shooting results in her 2005–06 debut season. Her average dropped to 74% in her first full season in 2006–07. Magdalena won the 2007–08 World Cup with a shooting accuracy of 73%. This is the lowest accuracy for an Overall World Cup winner ever. It was about ten percent lower than the previous three winners' averages. She steadily improved her shooting percentages in the next two seasons. She had a 76% average in 2008–09. Her best results were 82% in the 2009–10 Olympic season. In the 2010–11 season, she achieved her highest accuracy in the standing position, with 75%.

Magdalena's shooting has often been discussed in the German media. Sometimes she didn't like talking about her shooting in interviews. She said the public's focus on it made the problem worse. She insisted her difficulties in the standing position were not about technique, but about her mindset. She said her training results were as good as her teammates'. She explained that she had developed a fear of standing shooting over time. She knew she would have to explain herself after the race if she missed. In 2008, Magdalena trained with a shooting coach. She then slightly changed her stance. Since 2009, she has worked with a psychologist. They focused on mental techniques to build her confidence at the shooting range. Her standing position average improved from 60% to 75% between 2008 and 2011. Magdalena sometimes wore earplugs during races to help her concentrate while shooting. The individual race, which relies heavily on shooting, was usually her weakest event. Each shooting error in this race adds a one-minute time penalty, instead of a penalty loop.

Magdalena won six races (all sprints) with perfect shooting. These included a sprint in March 2007, the 2011 World Championship sprint, and four sprints in her final 2011–12 season. She also shot perfectly on two other occasions. These were a sprint in March 2006 (where she finished fourth) and a sprint in December 2008 (where she finished third). Her worst shooting performance was in December 2008. She had nine shooting errors in a pursuit race. Magdalena's most costly shooting mistake happened during a mass start race in January 2009. After 15 perfect shots, she was leading by 53.6 seconds. But in the final shooting, she missed all five targets. She ended up dropping to sixth place.

Shooting Statistics

Neuner prepares to shoot in the standing position in Antholz, January 2009

*Key:Hits / shots, percentage. Results in all IBU World Cup races including relay events.

**Statistics as of 18 March 2012.

Personal Life

Neuner in Wallgau, Germany, May 2009

Magdalena Neuner has lived in Wallgau, a small village in Bavaria, Germany, since she was born. She plays the harp and owns an enduro motorcycle. She enjoys mountain biking, hiking, and swimming when she's not competing.

In December 2009, Magdalena confirmed she was in a relationship with Josef Holzer. He was a school friend from Wallgau. The couple got married in March 2014. They have a daughter, Verena Anna (born May 30, 2014), and a son, Josef Valentin (born November 8, 2016). Their church wedding took place on October 17, 2015.

In the Media

Biathlon is the most popular winter sport in Germany. Every World Cup event is shown live on German television. The January World Cup races often have over five million viewers. After winning three world championship titles in 2007, Magdalena quickly became one of Germany's most popular female sports stars. The media often called her "Gold Lena." In her first two years in the spotlight, she signed many endorsement deals and won many awards.

Magdalena's popularity grew even more after her success at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Her second gold medal win was watched live by 9.75 million TV viewers in Germany. This was the most-watched program of the Games in Germany. Her decision not to compete in the Olympic relay was a big story in Germany. It led to much media talk about whether it was entirely her choice. She later received the Fair Play medal for showing "team spirit."

Magdalena won the Biathlon Award for Female Athlete of the Year in 2007 and 2008. She also received the Goldener Ski (Golden Ski), the highest award from the German Ski Association, in 2007, 2008, and 2010. Journalists from twelve countries named her Biathlete of the Year in the 2007–08 and 2009–10 seasons. She even beat male athletes like Ole Einar Bjørndalen. Magdalena was chosen as Germany's 2007 Sportswoman of the Year. She was third in 2008 and second in 2010. In 2010, she received the Silberne Lorbeerblatt (Silver Laurel Leaf). This is the highest award for athletes in Germany. In 2011, readers of Germany's best-selling newspaper voted Magdalena the seventh greatest German sportsperson of all time. She was again named German Sportswoman of the Year. Nine months after she retired, Magdalena received Germany's Sportswoman of the Year award for a third time.

Magdalena's interest in knitting has often been mentioned by the German media. She has a knitting website with instructions and a "knitting blog." She said she usually takes knitting supplies with her when she travels for competitions. Knitting helps her relax. Outside of Germany, she is very popular in Russia. She has a fan club there and receives half of her fan mail from Russia. In 2010, Magdalena appeared in an advertisement for a lingerie line. She said she did this to change her public image. She was tired of being seen as "little sweet Lena." She was an ambassador for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany. She was also on the board for Munich's bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Achievements and Honours

Olympic Games

Neuner accepting her Olympic gold medal for the pursuit race

Magdalena Neuner won two gold medals and one silver medal at the Winter Olympic Games. In her only appearance at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, she won gold in the pursuit and the mass start events. She also won silver in the opening sprint. After winning three medals, she decided not to compete in the final relay race.

World Championships

Magdalena Neuner is the most successful female biathlete in the history of Biathlon World Championships. She has won seventeen medals: twelve gold, four silver, and one bronze. In her first appearance at the 2007 World Championships in Italy, Magdalena won three titles (sprint, pursuit, and relay). A year later at the 2008 World Championships in Sweden, she won three more gold medals (mass start, relay, and mixed relay). Magdalena did not win a title at the 2009 World Championships in South Korea. Her best result was a silver medal in the relay. She won her second mixed relay gold in Russia in 2010. At the 2011 World Championships, she won three more titles (sprint, mass start, relay) and two silver medals (pursuit and mixed relay). At her final championships in 2012, Magdalena won her eleventh (sprint) and twelfth (relay) world titles. She also won her fourth silver (pursuit) and her first bronze medal (mixed relay).

World Cup

In her first World Cup season, Magdalena only competed in ten races. She finished 34th overall. In the 2006–07 season, she became a regular on the German team and finished fourth overall. Magdalena won the Biathlon World Cup for the first time in 2007–08. She also won the sprint and mass start categories. She finished fourth in the 2008–09 season, winning the individual category that year. In the 2009–10 season, Magdalena won the overall World Cup for a second time. By also winning the pursuit and mass start scores, she had claimed every World Cup title at least once. In 2010–11, she won the sprint category for a second time and finished fifth in the season ranking. In her final World Cup season in 2011–12, Magdalena won her third Overall World Cup title, as well as the sprint category.

*Key:Races—number of entered races/all races; Points—won World Cup points; Position—World Cup season ranking.

*Statistics as of 18 March 2012.''

World Cup Wins

Over seven seasons, Magdalena Neuner achieved 34 individual World Cup wins. In the history of the International Biathlon Union, she is ranked second behind Magdalena Forsberg (42). Uschi Disl (30) is third. She has won at least one race in every biathlon discipline. She also won nine relay races and three mixed relay events as part of the German World Cup team. Magdalena often started slowly at the beginning of a winter season. Only three of her individual victories happened before Christmas. As a result, 18 of her 47 wins came in March. Most of her wins happened in Russia (10), followed by Italy (6) and Germany (6).

*Key:WCH—World Championships; OG—Olympic Games. Statistics as of 18 March 2012.

Overall Record

During her seven seasons on the World Cup tour, Magdalena Neuner competed in 175 races. She won 47 of them, which is a 26.86% win rate. She has won at least one race in every biathlon discipline. She scored World Cup points in all but three of her races. Magdalena reached a total of 82 World Cup podiums. This includes 63 in individual races and 19 in team events. She also achieved 137 top ten finishes, which is 78.29% of all the races she entered.

*Results in all IBU World Cup races including relay events. Statistics as of 18 March 2012.

Junior/Youth World Championships

Magdalena Neuner won seven gold and four silver medals at the Biathlon Junior/Youth World Championships. She won a medal in every race she entered, except for the individual discipline. In 2004, at her first junior world championships in France, Magdalena won two titles (sprint and relay). A year later, she won gold in the sprint race in Finland. In 2006, she won two more titles (pursuit and relay) in the United States. Magdalena did not compete in the 2007 event. She returned to the junior world championships in 2008 in Germany. There, she won two more gold medals (sprint and pursuit).

Awards and Honours

Some of Neuner's trophies on display at Wallgau's town hall: 2007 German Sportswoman of the Year award, 2007–08 and 2009–10 Overall World Cup crystal globes, 2011 World Championships sprint gold medal

International Titles

• Winter Olympic Games – 2 gold medals
  • 2010: Pursuit, Mass start
• Overall Biathlon World Cup winner – 2007–08, 2009–10, 2011–2012
• Individual World Cup winner – 2008–09
• Sprint World Cup winner – 2007–08, 2010–11, 2011–2012
• Pursuit World Cup winner – 2009–10
• Mass start World Cup winner – 2007–08, 2009–10
• Biathlon World Championships – 12 gold medals
  • 2007: Sprint, Pursuit, Relay
  • 2008: Mass start, Relay, Mixed relay
  • 2010: Mixed Relay
  • 2011: Sprint, Mass start, Relay
  • 2012: Sprint, Relay
• Biathlon Junior/Youth World Championships – 7 gold medals

Awards

• German Sportswoman of the Year – 2007, 2011, 2012
• Biathlon Award for Female Newcomer of the Year – 2007
• Biathlon Award for Female Athlete of the Year – 2007, 2008
• Goldener Ski of the DSV – 2007, 2008, 2010
• Biathlete of the Year of the Forum Nordicum – 2008, 2010
• Silbernes Lorbeerblatt – 2010

See also

In Spanish: Magdalena Neuner para niños