Ole Einar Bjoerndalen is the most famous Norwegian biathlete who has repeatedly won the Winter Olympics and World Championships. What is interesting about his biography and sports career?
Ole Einar Bjoerndalen holds the record among all biathletes in terms of the number of titles and medals won in various tournaments. And also one of the oldest athletes in this sport in the history of biathlon.
Childhood and adolescence of Bjoerndalen
The future biathlon star was born on January 27, 1974 in Drammen, Norway. There were many children in his family. In particular, he has two sisters and two brothers. Parents have always been farming to support such a large family. From childhood, Bjoerndalen began to get involved in sports and often skipped school lessons. He played football, jogging, skiing and so on. But at the age of ten he made a choice in favor of biathlon. He was immediately noticed as the most gifted athlete and was invited to the Norwegian national team. Moreover, his debut in the adult team happened quite early - at the age of 17.
Sports biography of a biathlete
Bjoerndalen began his career in professional sports with the Norwegian junior national team. In its composition, he became the world champion three times. After this success, he was immediately invited to the adult team. In the 1993/1994 season, he made his World Cup debut, and even earlier took part in his first Olympics in Lillehemer.
Since 1995, Bjoerndalen has consistently ranked among the best biathletes in the world and during this time managed to participate in several Olympics and win 8 gold medals. He also holds the biathlon world championships no less effectively. At such tournaments, Ole Ainar was able to win 20 gold medals and many silver and bronze medals.
The best years in his sports career were the seasons from 2002 to 2010. During this time, Bjoerndalen wins almost all competitions and repeatedly wins the World Cup. For his successes, he receives the unofficial title of King of Biathlon from fans around the world. Ole Ainar performed especially well at the 2002 Olympics in the American city of Salt Lake City, where he won all personal races and became the absolute champion. He also successfully participated in competitions in 2014 in Sochi. In Russia, Bjoerndalen became a two-time Olympic champion and received public recognition for his contribution to the development of not only biathlon, but the whole sport. He was elected to the international commission of the IOC.
At 44 years old, Bjoerndalen continues to participate in competitions, although at the highest level he appears less and less in the Norwegian national team. He even had to miss the 2018 Olympics in Korean Pyeongchang.
Athlete's personal life
Bjoerndalen's first wife was the Belgian biathlete Natalie Santer in 2006. After several years of marriage, the couple broke up. They never had children. But in 2014, the romance of Bjoerndalen and another outstanding biathlete from Belarus Daria Domracheva began to gain momentum. She is also a multiple winner of the Olympics.
In 2016, they became spouses, and in October they had a daughter. Now the young family is busy continuing their sports career, and Bjoerndalen supports his young wife at all competitions. Perhaps this is what helped Daria again become the Olympic champion in Korea in 2018.
