Ole Einar Bjørndalen facts for kids

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Ole Einar Bjørndalen

Bjørndalen in 2007
Personal information
Nickname(s)	King of Biathlon The Cannibal
Born	(1974-01-27) 27 January 1974 (age 51) Drammen, Norway
Height	1.79 m
Spouse(s)	Nathalie Santer ​ ​ (m. 2006; div. 2012)​ Darya Domracheva ​ (m. 2016)​
Website	oleeinarbjorndalen.com
Professional information
Sport	Biathlon Cross-country skiing
Club	Simostranda IL Byåsen IL
Skis	Madshus
Rifle	Anschütz
World Cup debut	18 March 1993 28 November 1998
Olympic Games
Teams	6 (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014) 1 (2002)
Medals	13 (8 gold)
World Championships
Teams	23 (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017) 2 (2005, 2007)
Medals	45 (20 gold)
World Cup
Seasons	26 (1993 – 2018)
Individual races	478 (biathlon) 16 (cross-country skiing)
All races	582 (biathlon) 20 (cross-country skiing)
Individual victories	95 (biathlon) 1 (cross-country skiing)
All victories	136 (biathlon) 1 (cross-country skiing)
Individual podiums	179 (biathlon) 3 (cross-country skiing)
All podiums	252 (biathlon) 5 (cross-country skiing)
Overall titles	6 (1997–98, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09)
Discipline titles	20: 1 Individual (2004–05); 9 Sprint (1994–95, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2007–08, 2008–09); 5 Pursuit (1999–00, 2002–03, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09); 5 Mass start (2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08)
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 8 4 1 World Championships 20 14 11 Summer World Championships 1 1 1 Junior/Youth World Championships 3 0 1 Total (65 medals) 32 19 14 Olympic Games Gold 1998 Nagano 10 km sprint Gold 2002 Salt Lake City 20 km individual Gold 2002 Salt Lake City 10 km sprint Gold 2002 Salt Lake City 12.5 km pursuit Gold 2002 Salt Lake City 4 × 7.5 km relay Gold 2010 Vancouver 4 × 7.5 km relay Gold 2014 Sochi 10 km sprint Gold 2014 Sochi Mixed relay Silver 1998 Nagano 4 × 7.5 km relay Silver 2006 Turin 20 km individual Silver 2006 Turin 12.5 km pursuit Silver 2010 Vancouver 20 km individual Bronze 2006 Turin 15 km mass start World Championships Gold 1998 Hochfilzen Team event Gold 2003 Khanty-Mansiysk 10 km sprint Gold 2003 Khanty-Mansiysk 15 km mass start Gold 2005 Hochfilzen 10 km sprint Gold 2005 Hochfilzen 12.5 km pursuit Gold 2005 Hochfilzen 15 km mass start Gold 2005 Hochfilzen 4 × 7.5 km relay Gold 2007 Antholz-Anterselva 10 km sprint Gold 2007 Antholz-Anterselva 12.5 km pursuit Gold 2008 Östersund 12.5 km pursuit Gold 2009 Pyeongchang 20 km individual Gold 2009 Pyeongchang 10 km sprint Gold 2009 Pyeongchang 12.5 km pursuit Gold 2009 Pyeongchang 4 × 7.5 km relay Gold 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk 4 × 7.5 km relay Gold 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk Mixed relay Gold 2012 Ruhpolding 4 × 7.5 km relay Gold 2012 Ruhpolding Mixed relay Gold 2013 Nové Město 4 × 7.5 km relay Gold 2016 Oslo 4 × 7.5 km relay Silver 1997 Brezno-Osrblie 4 × 7.5 km relay Silver 1998 Pokljuka 12.5 km pursuit Silver 2000 Lahti 4 × 7.5 km relay Silver 2001 Pokljuka 15 km mass start Silver 2004 Oberhof 4 × 7.5 km relay Silver 2006 Pokljuka Mixed relay Silver 2007 Antholz-Anterselva 4 × 7.5 km relay Silver 2008 Östersund 20 km individual Silver 2008 Östersund 15 km mass start Silver 2008 Östersund 4 × 7.5 km relay Silver 2010 Khanty-Mansiysk Mixed relay Silver 2015 Kontiolahti 4 × 7.5 km relay Silver 2016 Oslo 10 km sprint Silver 2016 Oslo 12.5 km pursuit Bronze 1997 Brezno-Osrblie 12.5 km pursuit Bronze 1999 Oslo Holmenkollen 15 km mass start Bronze 1999 Kontiolahti 4 × 7.5 km relay Bronze 2000 Oslo Holmenkollen 15 km mass start Bronze 2001 Pokljuka 4 × 7.5 km relay Bronze 2004 Oberhof 20 km individual Bronze 2004 Oberhof 10 km sprint Bronze 2004 Oberhof 12.5 km pursuit Bronze 2008 Östersund 10 km sprint Bronze 2016 Oslo 15 km mass start Bronze 2017 Hochfilzen 12.5 km pursuit Junior World Championships Bronze 1992 Canmore 4 × 7.5 km relay Gold 1993 Ruhpolding 20 km individual Gold 1993 Ruhpolding 10 km sprint Gold 1993 Ruhpolding 4 × 7.5 km relay

Ole Einar Bjørndalen (born January 27, 1974) is a retired Norwegian biathlete and coach. Many people call him the "King of Biathlon" because he was so successful. He won 13 medals at the Winter Olympic Games, which is the second-highest number for any Winter Olympian. Only Marit Bjørgen has more, with 15 medals.

Bjørndalen is also the most successful biathlete ever at the Biathlon World Championships, winning an amazing 45 medals. He holds the record for the most career victories in the Biathlon World Cup, with 95 wins. He won the overall World Cup title six times: in 1997–98, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, and 2008–09.

He won his first medal at the junior world championships in 1992. A year later, in 1993, he won three junior world championship titles. This led to his first appearance in the Biathlon World Cup. His big break came in 1994 when he earned his first World Cup podium finish in Austria. Bjørndalen first competed in the Olympics at the Lillehammer 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway. He got his first major win on January 11, 1996, in Italy.

In 2014, Bjørndalen was chosen to be part of the International Olympic Committee's athlete commission for eight years. However, he decided to leave this role in 2016 to keep competing. He officially retired from the sport on April 3, 2018.

Ole Einar's Amazing Career

Ole Einar Bjørndalen started his journey in biathlon at a young age. When he was 16, he left home to train at a sports academy in Geilo. He first practiced both cross-country skiing and biathlon. After a year, he decided to focus only on biathlon.

Early Success and Olympic Debut

In 1993, at 19 years old, Bjørndalen became well-known. He won three out of four possible gold medals at the Junior Biathlon World Championships. This impressive achievement helped him get chosen to represent Norway at the 1994 Olympics. At those Games, his best result was 28th place in the sprint race.

World Cup Dominance

Bjørndalen won the overall World Cup title six times. He also finished second six times and third once. In his first season (1992–93), he was 62nd. By 1994–95, he climbed to fourth place. In 1998, at 24, he achieved a rare feat. He won a world championship gold medal, an Olympic gold medal, and the overall World Cup title all in one season.

He has an incredible record of 179 podium finishes in individual World Cup events. This includes 95 first places, 53 second places, and 31 third places. In relay races, he won 37 times. In total, he has 252 biathlon World Cup podium finishes. He also has 5 podium finishes in cross-country skiing World Cup events. In February 2009, he broke a record. He passed Ingemar Stenmark to become the skier with the most World Cup wins ever.

Bjørndalen won the Sprint World Cup nine times. He also won the Pursuit World Cup five times and the Mass Start World Cup five times. He won the Individual distance World Cup once in 2004–05. Overall, he has been on the podium 38 times in these specific World Cup disciplines.

Team and Nations Cup Achievements

Bjørndalen helped his team win the relay World Cup 11 times. He also finished second six times and third twice in relay events. In total, he has been on the podium for 19 seasons in the World Cup relay. He won the mixed relay World Cup four times with the Norwegian biathlon team.

The Norwegian biathlon team, with Bjørndalen, won the Nations Cup ten times. They also achieved five second-place finishes and three third-place finishes in the Nations Cup. This means he was on the podium 18 times in the men's Nations Cup.

Olympic and World Championship Highlights

Bjørndalen is the only biathlete to win all biathlon events at a single Winter Olympics. This happened at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. He won the sprint, pursuit, individual, and relay events. He was the most successful athlete at those Games. He also won four gold medals at the Biathlon World Championships 2005 and the Biathlon World Championships 2009.

At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, he won two silver medals and one bronze. At the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, Bjørndalen became the most successful biathlete in Olympic history. He won his 11th Olympic medal, anchoring Norway to a gold in the relay.

At the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, he won gold in the 10 km sprint. This tied him with Bjørn Dæhlie for the most Winter Olympic medals (12). He then won another gold in the mixed relay, becoming the most decorated Winter Olympian ever with 13 medals.

Bjørndalen has won 8 Olympic gold medals, 4 silver, and 1 bronze. He also has 20 World Championship gold medals, 14 silver, and 11 bronze. He holds a record 95 World Cup victories in biathlon and 1 in cross-country skiing. He finished in the top three of the Overall World Cup rankings for 13 seasons in a row. He also won 44 Norwegian Championship gold medals.

In January 2018, Bjørndalen was not chosen for the 2018 Winter Olympics. He did not meet the qualifying standard. However, he went to the Games as a coach for the Belarusian team to support his wife, Darya Domracheva. On April 3, 2018, Bjørndalen announced he was retiring from competing. He explained that heart problems had affected his performance. In September 2019, Bjørndalen and Domracheva became coaches for the Chinese biathlon team.

2005–06 World Cup Season

Bjørndalen finished the 2005–06 International Biathlon Union World Cup season in first place. He was in third place before the last three races in Norway. But he won all three races, giving him six victories in the last eight races. This helped him win the overall title. He also won the pursuit and mass start titles.

2006–07 World Cup Season

Bjørndalen started the 2006–07 season perfectly, winning the first five races. In one race, he won by more than 2 minutes! On December 30, 2006, he won the Biathlon World Team Challenge in Germany for the fourth time in a row. His partner was Linda Grubben.

After competing in the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in 2007, he missed some World Cup events. Even after missing eight competitions, he still finished second overall.

2008–09 World Cup Season

Bjørndalen started the 2008–09 season feeling unwell, but he still got second place in two pursuit events. He skipped some races to focus on training. After his break, he won sprint and pursuit events in Germany.

At the Biathlon World Championships 2009 in South Korea, something unusual happened. Bjørndalen and many other athletes skied the wrong way at the start of a race. The jury first gave them a penalty, but then changed their minds. Bjørndalen won four gold medals at these championships.

After the World Championships, Bjørndalen took over the overall World Cup lead. He secured his sixth overall win in the last sprint of the season. He also won the pursuit cup.

Personal Life and Family

Bjørndalen grew up on a farm in Simostranda, Norway. He is the fourth of five children. His brother, Dag Bjørndalen, is also a biathlete. Both brothers won a silver medal together in the men's relay at the 1998 Winter Olympics.

Bjørndalen lives in Obertilliach, Austria. He was married to Italian-Belgian biathlete Nathalie Santer from 2006 to 2012. In April 2016, he announced he was in a relationship with Belarusian biathlete Darya Domracheva, and they were expecting a child. They married on July 7, 2016, in Norway. Their daughter, Xenia, was born on October 1, 2016.

Awards and Honors

Ole Einar Bjørndalen has received many awards for his amazing career:

• He won the Aftenposten Gold Medal in 1998.
• He was named the Norwegian Sportsperson of the Year in 2002 and 2014.
• For his achievements in biathlon and cross-country skiing, he received the Egebergs Ærespris in 2002.
• He also received the Fearnleys olympic honorary award in 2002.
• The International Sports Press Association voted him Best Male Athlete of 2002 and Best Male Athlete of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
• In 2008, a nearly three-meter-tall bronze statue of Bjørndalen was put up in his hometown of Simostranda.
• In March 2011, he, Michael Greis, and Andrea Henkel were given the Holmenkollen Medal. They were the first biathletes to receive this honor.

Cross-Country Skiing Adventures

Bjørndalen also competed in cross-country skiing. He first raced in the FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Finland in November 1998. His first podium finish in cross-country skiing came in November 2001 in Finland, where he finished second.

On November 18, 2006, Bjørndalen made history. He became the first male biathlete to win a FIS Cross-Country World Cup event. He won the 15 km freestyle event in Sweden. He has been on the podium 5 times in the Cross-Country World Cup.

He hoped to win Olympic medals in both biathlon and cross-country skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics. He finished 5th in the 30 km freestyle cross-country race, just missing a medal.

Other Victories and Fun Facts

Ole Einar Bjørndalen also won the Beach Volleyball Championship at Laguna Beach in 2001. He won the World Team Challenge biathlon event in Germany four times (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006). He also won a bronze medal there with his wife, Darya Domracheva, in 2018.

He finished second in the 2003 Dobbiaco-Cortina, a long-distance cross-country skiing event in Italy. In 2008, Bjørndalen won a biathlon exhibition event in Germany with Kati Wilhelm. He also got second place in 2011 with Magdalena Neuner.

Biathlon Results Overview

Bjørndalen in Trondheim, March 2009

Here are some of Ole Einar Bjørndalen's main results in biathlon:

Olympic Winter Games Medals

• 13 medals: 8 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze

Event	Individual	Sprint	Pursuit	Mass start	Relay	Mixed relay
1994 Lillehammer	36th	28th	N/A	N/A	7th	N/A
1998 Nagano	7th	Gold	N/A	N/A	Silver	N/A
2002 Salt Lake City	Gold	Gold	Gold	N/A	Gold	N/A
2006 Turin	Silver	11th	Silver	Bronze	5th	N/A
2010 Vancouver	Silver	17th	7th	27th	Gold	N/A
2014 Sochi	33rd	Gold	4th	22nd	4th	Gold

*Pursuit was first added in 2002, mass start in 2006 and the mixed relay in 2014.

World Championships Medals

• 45 medals: 20 gold, 14 silver, 11 bronze

Event	Individual	Sprint	Pursuit	Mass start	Team	Relay	Mixed relay
1994 Canmore	—	—	N/A	N/A	4th	—	N/A
1995 Antholz-Anterselva	12th	4th	N/A	N/A	—	5th	N/A
1996 Ruhpolding	19th	6th	N/A	N/A	4th	4th	N/A
1997 Brezno-Osrblie	6th	9th	Bronze	N/A	4th	Silver	N/A
1998 Pokljuka	—	—	Silver	N/A	Gold	—	N/A
1999 Kontiolahti	4th	19th	5th	Bronze	N/A	Bronze	N/A
2000 Oslo	20th	5th	4th	Bronze	N/A	Silver	N/A
2001 Pokljuka	10th	19th	4th	Silver	N/A	Bronze	N/A
2002 Oslo	—	—	—	7th	N/A	—	N/A
2003 Khanty-Mansiysk	30th	Gold	8th	Gold	N/A	4th	N/A
2004 Oberhof	Bronze	Bronze	Bronze	7th	N/A	Silver	N/A
2005 Hochfilzen	6th	Gold	Gold	Gold	N/A	Gold	—
2006 Pokljuka	—	—	—	—	N/A	—	Silver
2007 Antholz-Anterselva	32nd	Gold	Gold	4th	N/A	Silver	—
2008 Östersund	Silver	Bronze	Gold	Silver	N/A	Silver	—
2009 Pyeongchang	Gold	Gold	Gold	4th	N/A	Gold	4th
2010 Khanty-Mansiysk	—	—	—	—	N/A	—	Silver
2011 Khanty-Mansiysk	6th	22nd	24th	6th	N/A	Gold	Gold
2012 Ruhpolding	47th	20th	14th	8th	N/A	Gold	Gold
2013 Nové Město	25th	4th	10th	24th	N/A	Gold	—
2015 Kontiolahti	6th	19th	5th	4th	N/A	Silver	—
2016 Oslo	17th	Silver	Silver	Bronze	N/A	Gold	—
2017 Hochfilzen	47th	8th	Bronze	23rd	N/A	8th	—

*Team was removed as an event in 1998, and pursuit was added in 1997 with mass start being added in 1999 and the mixed relay in 2005.

Junior World Championships Medals

Event	Individual	Sprint	Relay	Team
1992 Canmore	23rd	47th	6th	Bronze
1993 Ruhpolding	Gold	Gold	8th	Gold

Shooting Skills

Bjørndalen was a good shooter, but not always the very best. In the 2005–06 season, he hit 84% of his targets. This placed him 36th in shooting accuracy. His prone (lying down) and standing shooting were almost the same.

In the 2004–05 season, he was the 16th best shooter with an 85% success rate. He hit 331 out of 364 targets. His prone shooting was better than his standing shooting that year.

Equipment He Used

Bjørndalen used Madshus skis, boots, and poles. He also used Rottefella NNN bindings. His gloves and base layers were from Odlo, and he wore Casco glasses.

See also

In Spanish: Ole Einar Bjørndalen para niños