Biathlon stars. Great biathletes of the world

7 favorites of Pyeongchang, whose condition at the beginning of the Olympic season raises questions.

In the elite of world biathlon in last years very few new names. The circle of applicants for high places is wide, but stable. Therefore, the fallout of individual stars from it is always very noticeable. Of course, in the Olympic season, some leaders are tricky with their form, trying to reach the maximum in February. But on by and large the same thing happens in other years - on the eve of the world championships. So the results of the first three stages of the World Cup are now indicative, although many biathletes still have the opportunity to correct their impression in the first starts of 2018. Who is the main disappointment at the moment?

1. Ole Einar BJORDALEN (Norway)

Photo REUTERS

The famous veteran is clearly conducting last season in his career and is preparing specifically for Pyeongchang. For this, he missed the World Cup in Annecy and went to the training camp in the mountains, which helped him to cheer up many times. True, now it's hard to believe in the revival of the legend. The Super Norwegian hasn't been on the podium in individual races in over a year, and hasn't won an individual race since 2015. Obviously, Ole Einar associates the main hopes for the medals of the 2018 Games with the relay race. At the recent stage in Austria, Bjoerndalen did not disappoint his team. But for Norwegian coaches, betting on a biathlete who hasn't climbed higher than 17th in the last 9 personal races is a serious risk.

Anton Shipulin . Photo AFP

The current cup start of the leader of the Russian men's national team is the weakest in recent years, even taking into account the fact that Anton always rolls hard in the season. Before Sochi -2014, in the first three stages, he also had only one personal bronze, but then his mood was noticeably improved by the relay victory, which he eventually managed to repeat at the Olympics. Now Shipulin no longer has the moral right to consider himself “the first after Fourcade”, and the fifth place in the overall World Cup is overlaid with feelings related to the neutral status of the Russian national team at the Olympics in Pyeongchang. In general, if Shipulin does not plan to become a spectator at the main competitions of the four-year period, he needs to sharply improve.

The two-time silver medalist of the Sochi Olympics is one of those "going from the fair". The peak of the German's career came after Olympic champion at world 2015, after which its results are steadily going down. True, in this season he scored two third places in personal races, but it is obvious that Lesser's time has passed - he is now more familiar with finishing in the fourth ten. Eric is still capable of feats in the single mixed, but this discipline, unfortunately for the two-time world champion, is not Olympic yet.

Gabriela KOUKALOVA. Photo REUTERS

Another chronically ill star. This season, the 28-year-old athlete was noted only by a scandal in social networks about her statements about "Russian doping". Koukalova missed all three starting stages of the World Cup due to problems with calf muscles, and the prospects for Gabriela's return to service are still very vague. Even if she returns to the pistes in January, it is not at all a fact that she will immediately begin to show competitive results. It is likely that the Czech woman's dream of Olympic gold, which was not realized in Sochi, will remain a dream.

Threefold Olympic champion will definitely not dominate in Pyeongkhang as well as at the Games in Sochi. She is still able to win any start, but the strength of the Belarusian star is not the same. After a long career break, associated first with mononucleosis, and then with the birth of a child, Domracheva won only one race in a year. This season, she missed five races out of 11. On the one hand, such selectivity may indicate a focus on main start- the Olympics. On the other hand, Daria clearly saves energy and emotions, and if, for example, Laura Dahlmeier again catches courage, then Domracheva may simply not get a new chance to shine.

Tatiana AKIMOVA. Photo REUTERS

Last season, she staked out the status of the first number of the Russian national team, but in the current World Cup she loses in all respects to Ekaterina Yurlova-Perkht, who returned from the decree. Even though the latter also appears without much shine. Last season, the peak of Akimova's form fell on the pre-Christmas stage of the World Cup, but now this has not happened, and the only hope is that Tatyana will still extricate herself from all her problems and show her class in Pyeongchang. One place in the top ten in the last 11 personal races is, of course, not the stability that we expected when we talked about the rising star Akimova.

in the Olympic season, everything cools down first) conclusions need to be drawn after Korea
UEB has been “buried” for the eighth year already, and he never ceases to amaze, about Domracheva in general, nonsense, she missed Annecy on schedule, and not because of fatigue, the same thing happened in December 2013, and 135 points in three races (45 points on average ), this is the top level as long as there is a problem with skis
Shipulin is also preparing for the Olympic Games, but there are certainly fears that after 30 years he will follow in the footsteps of Svensen ... it is difficult for overall and strength athletes to compete with young ones over the years
Koukalova misses this season with a 99% probability, in what form will she be next? or ends his career altogether, there is no point in guessing
Lesser is not such a star, even more so Akimova

"The cooling stars of the Russian media" - it would be fairer after all

The article is completely stupid. Lesser is fine - he never had a lot of podiums, he just knows how to shoot at the GS. Although personally I would not like this on future Olympiad- does not follow the language. Domracheva is also fine. As for Akimova, she, of course, has not yet achieved the progress that we all expected. But then it would really not have written "Stars", but simply "Sportsmen".

But I would mention here Eckhoff, Dunkley (not a good person - but performed well that season), Laukanen, of course Chevalier. In men, Shempp does not shine next to Anton. Windish hasn't shown anything yet. Rastorguev, the same Semyonov is not noticeable ...

In general, there are many names. And who has a real recession, and who did not give a damn about KM for the sake of OI, we will find out only in February. Therefore, one could either write nothing, or write a really large, detailed article for no less than 15 names. And it turned out neither one nor the other. Honored not to the author.

Well, and an article ... Yes, sir, I haven't even read it - some kind of nonsense. Some random set, incomprehensible "cooling", far-reaching conclusions ... Bam-bam, and by!

Didn't even finish reading. What to find fault with Shipulin when last season he won the first victory only at the 6th stage and the result was 2nd place in the overall standings, and he already has a medal. About Svendsen the same thing for the entire last season, he scored only five podiums and more than one victory, but became the seventh in overall standings, and now he is simply ill and therefore does not perform. Lesser is generally 3 podiums (this is without relay races), seventh in the overall standings out of eight personal races 5 in the top ten, he is the second from the Germans in the overall standings. Domracheva, what a man did to you in the big biathlon in the middle of last season, returned and this season out of five races once was the third, and once won, and do you think that, as you said, I quote "Domracheva won only one race in a year" is it bad? Total? Mdaa)). Akimov's star? Yes, she performed consistently, won the race, was on the podium, this is the level good man out of the top 15, a rising star is when a young athlete breaks into the elite and starts to hit the podium and win, and Tatiana is a stable quality fighter. According to your reasoning, Doren Habert is a star that has long gone out, but she is not in your rating. And where is Garanichev?

Not in the subject of an article. Really under New Year without obserance in any way?
The author's eyes are without metrological verification.

Such articles only litter your favorite biathlon site.

Akimova and Lesser - the current level of the once beloved Sport-Express. The man is 7th in total (he has never been so high), has 2 podiums in December, which has never happened. Akimova has never been a top biathlete and favorite. Bottom.

Another astrologer turned up not dusty, who appoints stars according to a technique known only to him.

There was no place for Nastya Kuzmina, but there was - for our Akimova.

Nastya has long learned that the peak of the form can be reached more than once a season and does not hesitate to take prizes here and now. Professor Gibadullin confirms this theory.

Our "strategists" of the training center, in order to test this statement of the professor in practice, simply dismissed it and wait, it is not clear what, for already a season, after which, as usual, as an excuse: again winter came unexpectedly.

Ivan Pokhmelev, apparently the article was written according to this principle))

Alexander01, I completely agree with your opinion.

It's some kind of nonsense, not an article ... Lesser is getting cold so well ... seventh in total. Is Akimova a star? ... where is Eckhoff, where is Pidgrushnaya? But the sports express was once the best sports media, for a long time it was true

About Ole Einar BJORDALEN in the article they write: “... True, now it’s hard to believe in the revival of the legend. The Super Norwegian has not been on the podium of personal races for over a year ..., ”.
Okay, it would be about the first places, but no, it is talking about the catwalks.
Are the World Championships considered personal races? At the last World Championship in February 2017, he took a prize in the individual start (bronze GP). So what about "more than a year" - here they were clearly in a hurry with conclusions. At the same championship, Domracheva won something and Dasha and Ole were very happy together. In 2016, he also won not only team medals at the World Championships. It can be seen that it is brought up normally to certain starts. And the article is misleading, its authors do not understand the subject, the sports express does not check the information - just to make something hot. I'm not a fan of Bjoerndalen, but I want to read normal materials from trained people.

Nick Kuzyansky, reluctance to poke around in delirium. Well, he said something (most likely something spiteful), well, okay. Nobody understood anything anyway

AMAlexander, here again at @ flip flops? Take the bronze in the GP in Sochi from Tey and hang Gabriele, do not be trifles, remember Vancouver first. You are amazing people - Russophobes. It turns out that Putin and RUSADA have been substituting Shipulin's samples at all competitions since 2009 to this day, and the same Gabi suddenly, by accident '' began to feel unwell

Denis, is it easy to be a visionary at the beginning of the season?
Cool down!)) All the most important is yet to come.

I agree with everything except Eric Lesser. Two podiums and speed are often in the top (when was that?) Speak of good shape. Excellent rate of fire for everything gives hope for a personal medal in any race. By the way, Eric easily picked up Be's acceleration, unlike Shipulin, but Johannes is now faster than Fourcade ...
There is still not enough star of past seasons Doren Aber, so she really passed and should definitely be on this list.

AMAlexander- what are you so florid about? Did they just throw a stone?

Cooling stars ... Out, out of me. It's good that they haven't cooled down yet. It will not be said at night.
Directly a thriller of some kind.

Severin, you could really write about Marie. And it would be enough for her and Svensen. Although Swensen can still easily "rise from the ashes"). So far, nothing is clear about Gaby.

Instead of Akimova, you could write about Doreen Abert, here she shone after giving birth, and now you can hardly hear or see.

Yes ... No words, only letters remained

Some nonsense.

remen, you mean already meeting NG? - "start early"

From this list I was most happy for Tanya! Let it be cooling, but a star! They put them on the same level as Gaby and Dasha! Not bad!))

Anyuta, it was urgent to fill the page with something, and the photos are filling very well.))

Elen, they start early there

Yeah .. the article is strange .. to put it mildly ...)

I absolutely disagree. The 2017/2018 season is just in full swing, and I consider it premature to draw any conclusions about the "cooling" stars. Latest results say the opposite. At Gabi's expense - we'll wait. Time will show.

Akimov's star?

I do not like the set of "cooling stars" And the very reason for combining them into "one heap" is very dubious.

Ivan Pokhmelev, I agree. And Shipulin is not the case. And Bjørndalen did not cool down at all. judging by the brilliant staff. In his years! And Domracheva? - she will endure everyone.

Nick Kuzyansky, can Gaby be in sorrow !? Girl since 2011 ONE! only in personal races, won at times! MORE! Than both Russian teams for the same period, combined: OI (0-1-1) World Cup (1-2-1) BHG-1 MHG-6 KM (16-9-7) 32! Now also the bronze medalist of the Olympic Games in the relay!

Dmitry, I generally like your stones. But I didn't quite understand the previous speaker (AMAlexander), or even didn't understand at all)) I just feel - something bad!)) Can you explain to me, Dmitry, - what is he talking about?

AMAlexander, but think with your head: RUSADA has not controlled anything for a long time, and on KM, with the exception of Khanty and Tyumen, it never did.

Nick Kuzyansky, TI does not guarantee a solution to immunity problems. Rather, on the contrary - the intervention in the body of "anti-asthma" drugs can create a problem with "natural" diseases.

Nick Kuzyansky, I agree - you can see an ominous meaning in such a title

The main competitor knows very well (at least he guesses) that he will not receive any invitation to participate in the Olympics from Madame Valerie Fourneiron! Due to the history and the list of "300 Spartans" RUSADA - 2012/2015, timely submitted by WADA to the IOC, all Federations and IBU in particular.

He also knows that neither the RBU, nor the OCD, nor even our Anders Besseberg Himself, can influence the decisions of Madame Fourneiron's commission! But they can save the “Great” from disqualification, especially since the RBU and the IBU have already done all this and more than once in 2009/2014 ... But even if the last condition is met, the Great understands that the day 28.01.2018 can become the day of the collapse of your entire career and the complete destruction of your reputation! Because it will immediately become very clear to everyone that all his latest achievements in biathlon were achieved only thanks to manipulations with his samples in RUSADA.

However, to save the situation, (reputation) can be an elementary manifestation of a high sense of patriotism - "Russia is a great power!" And this means excluding yourself from the list submitted by the ROC for approval by Madame Fourneiron (especially since the ROC promised to treat such a decision with understanding) ... After which, already our Anders Besseberg from the IBU, immediately, temporarily, or forever, deletes from the list of candidates for disqualification. Everything! Reputation saved! You can also become a deputy ...

And all this is only in order not to fall under the forced IBU decision like FIS-Ski, which suspended Eleven today! Russian skiers led by Legkov from all international competitions ...

“Cooling down” Lesser is 7th in total, and at the end of last season he was 10th. Everyone would like to "cool down".

"UEB cooling down" ... n-yes.

“Everyone knows the story of how Emil Hegle did not kiss his bride for two months on the eve of the World Cup, so as not to catch some evil virus. And after that he still fainted after one of the races due to pressure problems. Now Svendsen said that he was very tired after the very first stage of the World Cup, Gabriela KOUKALOVA. Another chronically ill star. " -

What is it: "sport - health"? Or is this the payback for TI?

In addition to UEB, it is still too early to talk about others about "cooling down"

Gabriela KOUKALOVA. Another chronically ill star. " - What is it: "sport - health"? Or is this the payback for TI?

Winter sports are varied. Biathlon stands out among the most popular, spectacular and exciting sports.

Many athletes of this sport made history right on the track - they made the hearts of their fans sink, made world records, won the most difficult competitions. Such an extreme show made biathlon the leader of various sports ratings.

Top 10 world outstanding biathletes of all time included:

1. Ole Einar Bjoerndalen

The athlete is considered the king of this sport. Norwegian by nationality, Ole managed at a fairly young age to become a 6-time World Cup winner and multiple medalist of many championships.

In addition, he holds an honorable 2nd place among all athletes in winter sports. On his account - 93 victories in various races, 23 victories in team races and 1 in skiing competitions.

Biathlete was born in 1974 in Drammen. The baby's love for sports dates back to early childhood At the age of 5, the boy began to train hard. He attended various sections: handball, cycling, football and even athletics... He made his debut as a biathlete in 1984.

Since 1992 he has been a member of the Norwegian national biathlon team. The peak of his career fell in 2002, when Olympic Games the athlete managed to win all 4 gold in individual races. Thus, Ole became the undisputed champion.
The athlete has a wife, also a biathlete. There are no children yet.

The family lives in the small town of Obertilliach, Austria. The biathlete did not leave the big sport, he performs in competitions. Indicators, alas, are not as brilliant as in youth.

2. Magdalena Neuner

She is rightfully called the queen of biathlon. The 25-year-old athlete twice became the Olympic champion, 12 times - the world champion in biathlon (this is a world record). The athlete has won the Big Globe three times. It's hard to imagine, but this fragile girl has stood at the top of the pedestal as many as 34 times.

The athlete was born in 1987 in the German village of Walgau. She made her debut in biathlon in 2006. The first victory dates back to 2007 - the girl won the sprint competition in Oberhof.

The peak of her career was in 2010. In Vancouver, the girl was able to pick 2 gold. Alas, these productive competitions were final for the athlete. Magdalena said goodbye to her sports career.

3. Sven Fischer

Famous German superbathlete. Despite his short career, the athlete managed to make an amazing breakthrough in sports. His impressive career includes 4 gold medals from the Olympic Games, 7 gold medals at the World Championships, and 2 Biathlon World Cups.

In the overall ranking, Sven takes the honorable 3rd place in terms of the number of victories. The biathlete climbed the podium 34 times.
Fischer is from Schmalkalden. It was there that he was born in 1971. He was engaged in biathlon from early childhood.

He received his first gold in 1993 in Kontiopakhti. A stellar career ended in 2007 after finishing third in races.

Today, Sven continues to be with the biathletes. He works as a commentator for one of the German TV channels. Together with his wife, he is raising 2 children.

4. Magdalena Forsberg

World famous Swiss biathlete. Won 2 bronze medals at the Olympics. From 1994 to 2002, she owned the Big Crystal Globe. During her career she has won 42 gold medals in individual races.

The athlete switched to biathlon from cross-country skiing, because she did not achieve what she wanted there. She left big sport in 2002, becoming a commentator and host of her own sports program. Married Henrik Forsberg, happily married.

5. Raphael Poiret

A French biathlete who for a long time had no equal among athletes. He won individual races 44 times. 8 times world champion and 4 times winner of the Big Crystal Globe.

The athlete finished his career in 2007, after losing to the legendary rival in the last race of the season. Today the biathlete is not working, but he is considering an offer to become a coach of the men's national team of Belarus.

6. Ursula Disl

A German athlete whose name is known all over the world. The biathlete became the Olympic champion 2 times. 8 times was the best at the Championships, 19 times ascended the podium.

In the arsenal of the girl - 30 victories in individual races. This is the 3rd result in the world among female athletes.
Ursula finished her career in 2006. Not today became an army employee.

7. Alexander Tikhonov

Famous Soviet biathlete. 4 times became the champion of the Olympic Games. He won relay races, 11 times became the world champion, 14 times - the champion of the All-Union scale. He received the title of "Best Biathlete of the 20th Century".

8. Liv-Grete Poiret

A famous person, the wife of the equally famous French biathlete Rafael Poiret. She was born in 1974 in a Norwegian town. At one time she became a famous and titled biathlete of her country.

She became a 3-time Olympic medalist, an 8-time champion. For the first time she was able to get 4 gold in one championship. In total, he has 22 victories in his arsenal. She left the project in 2006 - at the peak of her fame.

9. Ricco Gross

German biathlete, born 1970. Proved himself as a team player. In his career, he received 4 gold in the Olympic Games, 9 medals in the Championships, and 9 victories in individual races. Now he is the head coach of the women's biathlon team.

10. Kati Wilhelm

She became the best sportswoman in Germany in 2006. She won 3 gold medals at the Olympic Games, 5 top awards at the World Championships. Her career lasted only 10 years. During this time, she managed to win at 21 individual race... Received the nicknames "Red-haired beast", "Little Red Riding Hood".

In 2011, the biathlete became a mother, is raising a daughter.
An athletic career is brutal and fast-paced. Athletes come to sports, they leave quickly. But only a select few have time to leave their unforgettable mark on it.

Among the sports disciplines in biathlon, it is very difficult to determine who is worthy of the title of titled master of sports. Along with this, there is a certain ranking scale that allows you to determine which of the athletes is worthy of the title. best biathlete in the world... Now every country where biathlon is the main sport has its own list of legends that the citizens of the country are proud of.

Biathlon as an independent sport appeared relatively recently. Have northern peoples skiing has been a cultural part of the development of local communities. However, as a sport, this discipline has appeared relatively recently. The first attempts to give "sportiness" were made back in 1767. This became a cultural part of the competition between the Swedish and Norwegian border guards of that time.

In 1924, at the First Winter Olympics in Chamonix (France), they did not know what to call the sports discipline. We decided to assign the "military patrol race", however, the IOC did not agree with this name, since there should not be something like that associated with the war, the army in the sport. It was only in 1948 that the pacifists managed to convince that the race should not be called "military". In 1960. for the first time in the Winter Olympics, as in all world sports, the name biathlon appeared.

If we now look at detailed list best biathletes, then note that they represent the same countries. Currently, this sport is supported at the state level in the following states:

Russia;
France;
Austria;
Belarus;
Ukraine;
Norway;
Sweden;
Italy;
China;
Canada;
Eastern European states.

According to the statistics of the official IOC, they take an active part in international events the best biathletes from 43 countries (for 2017). The International Combined Union itself has confederations from 68 countries of the world. Since 1998, the IBU (International Biathlon Union) has been operating, which is subordinate to the IOC. In Russia, biathlon activities are regulated by the SBR, which was formed in 1992.

By international rules there are seven categories of races that are included in the Olympic and international programs:

Individual race.
Sprint.
The pursuit.
Mass start.
Relay race.
Mixed group.
Single relay (mixed group).

In addition, there is the 8th group, which has not yet been recognized as an official by the IOC, this is Mega mass start.

Below we present a list of those who are rightfully considered the best biathlete. It is difficult for someone to give priority, since every winner deserves this high title.

Ole Einar Bjoerndalen

He is rightfully considered the king of biathlon. The Norwegian received 6 World Cup titles at an early age. Numerous winner of many prestigious international tournaments in biathlon. In addition, he has an honorary 2nd place in all types of winter competition. In his piggy bank there are about 93 awards in various races, there are 23 awards in team races. One well-deserved award in the ski discipline.

The athlete was born in 1974, in the Norwegian Drama. Starting at the age of 5, he trained hard in many sports, but in 1984 he decided to devote himself exclusively to biathlon. Since 1992, he has been with the Norwegian national team. The main peak of his sports career came in 2002, where at the Olympics he managed to win 4 gold medals at once in the individual part of the winter races.

Now the athlete lives in Austria, he has a wife, no children. Ole Einar still takes part in competitions, but, alas, he has no more high results.

Magdalena Neuner

A young, beautiful German woman won the title of "Queen of Biathlon" quite deservedly. At the age of 25, she twice managed to win gold at the Olympics, 12 times became the medalist of the largest international championships... She won the Big Globe three times in her piggy banks. It is even difficult to imagine mentally that such an elegant and fragile girl has already been on world podiums 34 times.

Magdalena was born in Germany, in the small village of Walgau. Her debut came in 2006, and in 2007 she won a sprinter victory in Oberhof. The peak of her main successes is 2010, in Vancouver at the Olympic Games Magdalena takes 2 gold at once. Alas, this was the last burst of her fame, after which she left the chosen direction.

Sven Fischer

We can talk endlessly about the German biathlete Sven Fischer. But, he had a short sports career, where he managed to snatch 4 golds at the OWG and 7 at the World Championships. In his piggy bank there are 2 world cup awards.

In total, the German athlete managed to climb the podium 34 times. The birthplace of the champion is the city of Schmalkalden, date - 1971. The first well-deserved gold was in 1997 in the Norwegian Kontiopahti, the last major award in 2007.

Now Sven has moved away from big sport but works in television as a sports commentator. He is married and has two children.

Magdalena Forsberg

We are used to seeing only Germans, Russians, and Scandinavians on the pedestals. However, among the titled biathletes there is a representative of Switzerland. Forsberg won two Snow Olympics with bronze medals. In the period 1994-2002 she was the owner of the Big Crystal Globe.

42 awards have been won in individual races. Forsberg came from cross-country skiing, where she never had any performance. Magdalena left big sport in 2002, married Frederik Forsberg, and is now the host of national German programs.

Raphael Poiret

The French titled athlete has no equal. In his career, you can count 44 prizes in individual sprint races. At the World Championships, he became an 8-time medalist. Multiple winner of the most prestigious biathlon award " Big Globe" - 4 times.

Rafael finished his career in 2007, in 2018 he received an offer to start coaching, and as an option - to lead the national team of Belarus (men's team).

Ursula Deals

The name of the German woman is very famous in sports circles. She became the world Olympic champion twice. She has 8 victories at the world championships in her arsenal. The total number of ascents to the podium is 19 times.

In the individual race, Ursula has won nearly 30 medalist titles. If we consider this indicator, then this is the 3rd place in the world, ahead only the best biathletes of Russia. Diels completed her sports career in 2006 and is now an employee in the German Bundeswehr.

Alexander Tikhonov

There are many titled personalities of Russian and Soviet snow shooters. You cannot list them all, however, the leadership in this belongs to Alexander Tikhonov, who is rightfully considered the best biathlete of the USSR.

He became the medalist of the Winter Olympic Games 4 times in a row. The number of his victories in relay races is difficult to calculate. In his piggy bank there are world championship titles, only 11 times he was the World Champion. In the USSR, he confessed 14 times the best athlete in their sports discipline. International organizations he was awarded the title of "Best Winter Sniper of the 20th Century".

Liv-Grete Poiret

Grete is known not only as a successful athlete, but also as the wife of her famous husband, also a double fighter by profession - Raphael Poiret. This is a rare case when a wife and husband are simultaneously in the TOP of the best biathletes in the world.

She is 3 times champion of the Winter Olympic Games, 8 times was the medalist of the World Championships. She is one of the only biathletes who managed to win 4 medals at once within the framework of one Championship, all gold. In her honorary arsenal, there are 22 victories. He left biathlon in 2006. Now he is thinking about a further coaching career with her husband.

Ricco Gross

German shooters, along with the Norwegians and Russians, confidently hold the pedestals at the largest competitions. A striking example of this is the results of the team player Ricco Gross.

In his professional step, there are 4 honored golds at the OWG. At All World Championships, he grabbed 9 gold and well-deserved awards, in individual sprinting he has the same number of prize wins - 9. Now Ricco leads the national women's biathlon team of Germany.

Kati Wilhelm

Closes the TOP of the world's best shooters - Kati Wilhelm. The high title of the best sportswoman of the German national team, she was awarded in 2006. Winter Olympics won 3 gold. At the Championships, she owns 5 gold medals.

In total, her career lasted 10 years, but this time was enough for her to confidently win 21 individual sprints in competitions. For her character and behavior, she received affectionate nicknames from fans and journalists - "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Red Beast". Since 2011, she left the sport, now she is raising a young daughter on her own.

Conclusion

Since 1924, biathlon has been recognized as an official sports discipline at the Winter Olympic Games, although up to 1960 it was called differently. Now there are various programs and directions for the development of biathlon, which have both a cup direction and non-cubic and regional ones.

There are three official divisions of a sports discipline, these are:

Male and female command personnel;
Junior groups - boys and girls;
Age group of boys and girls.

The global standard is included in regional and non-regional events, including:

Olympic World Games In winter;
Winter Universiade;
World Games of Masters;
World military forces (military-sports direction);
Winter World Youth Olympics;
Festival of the Sports of the North;
Winter Games in the Arctic;
European Winter Festivals (youth).

In each event, we see the participation of biathlon legends, who further lead the ratings - list best snipers the world.

(6 wins overall). Four out of four possible victories were won by Ole Einar in biathlon at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and became the world's only undisputed Olympic champion in biathlon. Björndalen won 95 personal victories at the Biathlon and Cross-Country World Cup stages (94 and 1, respectively). Member of MO K since 2014. The oldest winner of the biathlon World Cup and Olympic Games in individual races. At his sixth Olympiad, at the age of 40, he managed to win two gold medals, one of which was personal in the sprint.

Emil Hegle Svendsen(more precisely Swennsen, Norwegian Emil Hegle Svendsen; 12 July 1985, Trondheim) - Norwegian biathlete, 4-time Olympic champion, 11-time world champion, World Cup winner. The fourth biathlete in history who managed to win 10 or more gold medals at the men's world championships (after Alexander Tikhonov, Frank Lucai Ole Einar Björndalen). The second biathlete after Ole Einar Björndalen, who managed to win gold medals in all disciplines of the World Championship. Emil Hegle Svendsen was fond of cross-country skiing since childhood, but later switched to biathlon. In 2002, his first major international competition- World Junior Championships in Ridnaun. Already in next year Svendsen wins two medals at the 2003 World Junior Championships in Kostelisko, Poland, and in 2004 and 2005 becomes a four-time World Junior Champion.

Alexander Ivanovich Tikhonov(January 2, 1947, Uyskoye village, Kolkhozny district, Chelyabinsk region) - a great Soviet biathlete. Four-time Olympic champion, silver medalist at the 1968 Olympic Games in Grenoble, eleven-time world champion, fifteen-time USSR champion, USSR Spartakiad champion, USSR Cup winner 1978. President (1996-2008), vice-president (2008-2010) of the Russian Biathlon Union. First Vice-President of the International Biathlon Union (2002-2009). Honored Master of Sports of the USSR since 1968. Member of the CPSU since 1975. Tikhonov's record for the number of gold Olympic medals in biathlon he remained invincible until 2002, and in gold medals at the world championships - until 2009.

Sven Fischer(it. Sven Fischer; April 16, Schmalkalden, Suhl, East Germany) - outstanding German biathlete , four-time Olympic champion and seven-time world champion.

Ricco Gross(German Ricco Groß; born August 22, 1970, the village of Bad Schlema, Karl-Marx-Stadt district, East Germany) - one of the most titled German biathletes, four-time Olympic champion, nine-time world champion in biathlon. Has to his credit several starts in the World Cup in cross-country skiing. Although Ricco Gross was born in the village of Bad Schlema (abbreviated as Schlema) in southeastern Germany, he now lives in Ruhpolding, one of the largest centers of world biathlon.

Mark Kirchner(German Mark Kirchner; April 4, 1970, Neuhaus am Renweg, Suhl, East Germany) - German biathlete, three-time Olympic champion, 7-time world champion, European champion.In 1992, only the sensational victory of Evgeny Redkin in the individual 20 km race prevented Kirchner from becoming the absolute champion of the games in Albertville. In that race, Mark ran the distance the fastest, but made 3 misses (0 + 1 + 1 + 1) and received 3 penalty minutes.

Michael Grice(German Michael Greis; August 18, 1976, Fussen, Bavaria, Germany) - German biathlete, three-time Olympic champion, three-time world champion, multiple world championship medalist, winner of the 2006/2007 World Cup. Grice's biggest career success came on 11 February when he won the 20 km individual race at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. The second gold medal he won on 21 February with the German relay team, which also included Ricco Gros, Michael Rösch and Sven Fischer, ahead of teams from Russia and France. On February 25, Michael Grice won the 15 km overall race ahead of Tomas Sikora of Poland and Ole Einar Bjørndalen of Norway.

Martin Fourcade(French Martin Fourcade; September 14, 1988, Céret, Céret district, Pyrenees-Eastern, France) - French biathlete, two-time Olympic champion in 2014 in the pursuit and individual race, two-time silver medalist in the mass start, six-time world champion, four-time winner World Cup overall in 2011/12 and 2012/13 and 2013/14 and 2014/15, the first ever biathlete to win the Big Crystal Globe 4 times in a row, multiple champion France, two-time winner of the Race of Champions. Younger brother of Simon Fourcade. Martin has been on the national team since 2006. He made his debut in the World Cup only in the spring of 2008 at the stage in Holmenkollen.

WOMEN

Daria Vladimirovna Domracheva(belor. Dar'ya Uladzimirauna Domrachava; genus. August 3rd, Minsk, BSSR, USSR) - Belarusian biathlete, three-time Olympic champion in 2014 , the owner of a large Crystal Globe Biathlon World Cup (2014/15), two-time champion world (2012 and 2013), the owner of several small Crystal globes Biathlon World Cup, Honored Master of Sports of the Republic of Belarus ... The most titled Belarusian sportswoman in history winter olympic games , as well as the world's first three-time Olympic champion, who won all of her victories in individual races. On the day of winning the third gold medal at the 2014 Games, Daria was awarded the title “ Hero of Belarus " , she became the first woman in the history of the country to be awarded the highest award. One of the strongest biathletes in the world at the beginning of the second decade XXI century.

Katy Wilhelm(it. Kati wilhelm; August 2, Schmalkalden, Suhl, East Germany) - German biathlete , the first in history threefold Olympic champion in biathlon, five-time world champion , winner overall standings World Cup 2005/06 , winner of six small World Cups. Best female athlete in Germany 2006.

Magdalena Noiner(it. Magdalena neuner; February 9, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany) - German biathlete, two-time Olympic champion , twelvefold biathlon world champion , three-time owner World Cup (seasons 2007/08, 2009/10, 2011/12 ), winner of seven Small World Cups. Three-time world champion in summer biathlon ... One of the most popular female athletes in Germany. The best German sportswoman in 2007, 2011 and 2012. Completed sports career in biathlon at the end of the 2011/2012 season. She is the most titled biathlete in history in terms of the number of gold medals at the world championships (12).

Andrea Henckel(German Andrea Henkel; December 10, 1977, Ilmenau, Suhl, East Germany) - titled german biathlete, two-time Olympic champion in 2002 and eight-time world champion. The younger sister of Olympic cross-country skiing champion Manuela Henkel, Andrea Henkel began her sports career in cross-country skiing, but in 1989 she switched to biathlon. Member of the national team: junior since 1994, main team since 1998. In the 2006/2007 season she won the World Cup. Andrea started the season confidently, but by the middle of the season, due to illness, she lost the lead, losing to Linda Grubben (who did not end the season after retiring from the sport), Anna Karin Olofsson and Kati Wilhelm.

Catherine Apel(May 4, 1973, Erfurt, East Germany) - German biathlete who began her career in cross-country skiing. Two-time Olympic champion (1998, 2002), silver (2006) and bronze (1998) Olympic medalist. She is also a four-time world championship winner. In total, her collection contains 69 medals won at the World Cup stages. The highest place in the overall standings of the World Cup - 5th (2002).

Ursula (Ears) "Turbo" -Disl(it. Ursula (Uschi) Disl;

Only in 1992. Biathlon has won immense recognition for its entertainment. Today, the popularization of this sport is taking place in many countries of the world. Since its isolation, biathlon has been a very popular spectator in Russia. Today he can easily compete with ice hockey and figure skating. Separately, it should be noted that biathlon is both a single and a team sport, which also stirs up interest in it. The Soviet school bequeathed to Russian the glory of the winners and an honorary name. Russian biathletes are still trying to keep the bar and be on a par with their titled predecessors.

Truly the star of the world biathlon is the Russian Vladimir Drachev. The representative of the Soviet school successfully played for Russia. As a result: four medals of the highest standard at the world championships. In 2002, due to a conflict with the leadership, Vladimir began to play for the Belarusian national team, where he ended his career 4 years later. Also a serious achievement of Drachev is winning the World Cup in the 1995-1996 season.

Another famous biathlete, Nikolai Kruglov, also won gold at the world championship four times. Nizhegorodets recently completed his career in sports, during which he was always helped by his father. Dad himself former biathlete, was personal trainer Nicholas. In 2006, Kruglov Jr. bought his father's gold medal, which he sold in order to be able to help his son get on his feet in big sports.

Pavel Rostovtsev, who retired in 2006, has 3 gold medals at the World Championship and twice as many silver medals. Pavel also took second place at the Turin Olympics. He became the second in the 2002 World Cup.

Viktor Maygurov also collected three gold at the world championships. Honored Master of Sports and twice Olympic medalist first played for Belarus. From the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Victor moved to the camp of the Russian national team and immediately rose to the podium for the first time. The career has developed progressively. One of the important achievements of the athlete is winning the first in the history of the world championships in pursuit race.

The club of three-time world champions includes two active biathletes: Maxim Chudov and Ivan Tcherezov. Maxim has been performing at a serious level since 1998, and Ivan since 1995. The peak of his career was at the 2008 World Championship, where Miracles overtook Ole Einer Björndalen himself in the final of the relay, after which he received the nickname Russian Rocket. Ivan to this day pleases biathlon fans with brilliant results. He is known as the consummate shooter. Accuracy of hits on targets is more than 90%.

Two-time world champions among Russian biathletes are Sergey Tarasov and Dmitry Yaroshenko... Sergei was one of the strongest Soviet athletes. Tarasov was remembered in the history of Russia a brilliant victory in the individual race in 1996 at the World Cup. Dmitry Yaroshenko began playing for the national team in 1987. Throughout his career, Yaroshenko became the winner in the relay race, the owner of the small World Cup following the results of the pursuit race and occupied the second line in the ranking. overall standings World Cup. In Dmitry's career, there were also not very pleasant moments when he was removed from the big sport due to doping. In 2010, the athlete was fully rehabilitated. Today Yaroshenko is again trying to win a place in the sun in the biathlon team.

Winner of numerous medals and awards of various denominations, Sergei Chepikov spent most of his career for the USSR national team. However, speaking for Russia, he also managed to reach the highest step of the podium at the World Championships once. It was in 2006 with mixed relay.

Heroes of our days Evgeny Ustyugov, Maxim Maksimov and Anton Shipulin are world famous athletes. Moreover, Ustyugov is a champion last Olympiad in a race from a common start. Eugene was born into a family of skiers. He inherited all the qualities of a real athlete. Today Evgeny Ustyugov is one of the most authoritative members of the Russian national biathlon team. He has repeatedly tried on the leader's yellow jersey at the stages of the Planet Cup. Maxim Maksimov has no gold medals from serious competitions, but he has many silver and bronze medals, including those from the world championships. Maksimov's colleague Anton Shipulin got into the main national team after a total triumph at the 2008 European Junior Championships. Last season, Anton also got his first victory in individual races in adult competitions. At the World Cup in Antholz, Shipulin won the sprint.

Dmitry Malyshko. Dmitry comes from the small town of Sosnovy Bor in the Leningrad Region. It is noteworthy that this city is known for a strong base for the training of biathletes. Probably, this gave impetus to the development of talent in Dmitry, because his father enrolled him in the biathlon section in the second grade. His first coach was Yuri Panferov. When Dmitry grew up from the age of a junior, Dmitry Kucherov took over the supervision of him.

Had seen legendary trainer a rising star at the Winter Olympics in Saransk. Then the young biathlete received bronze. Then he left for St. Petersburg and tried to leave the sport, but soon realized that they were forever connected with biathlon. He first debuted in the adult arena in the 2009-2010 season. Then he received silver at the European Championship. Then he underwent surgery on the heart muscle and returned to sports in the 2011-2012 season, having received a gold award at international competitions. The best season for him was 2012-2013. He brought the athlete 2 silver and 2 gold medals.

Alexey Volkov. Since 2009, the athlete has been a member of the junior biathlon team. Then he made his debut in the World Cup in Sweden, but then he took only 74th place. Also this year, Alexei took part in the individual race, which took place in Canada. She went brilliantly, and the young biathlete earned a gold medal. And as a member of the national team, at the same World Championship for juniors, he received a silver medal. In the same year, at the European Junior Championships, he received bronze in the pursuit.

A great career breakthrough occurred in 2012 at the World Cup in Oberhof, then he was able to win silver. In each subsequent season, Alexey performed brilliantly and received silver medals.

Evgeny Garanichev... He first became involved in biathlon in 2008. And after 2 years, the athlete has already achieved his first success at the Izhevsk rifle competition. In 2011, he made his debut at the World Cup, which was held in Anterselva. At the Olympic Games in Sochi, he received a bronze medal in the individual competition. In the 2016/2017 season at the World Cup in Antholz, he received a bronze relay, and at the European Championships in Poland he earned a gold medal in the individual relay and a silver medal in the pursuit. In the same year, at the World Championships in Hochfilzen, with Russian team, in personal tests showed the brilliant and the most best result- 10th place.

In addition to these wonderful biathletes, our country is proud of Valery Kirienko and Pavel Muslimov, Sergey Rozhkov and Sergey Konovalov, Valery Medvedtsev and Alexey Kobelev.