Biathlon legend Ole Einar Bjørndalen has also won the World Cup competition in cross-country skiing.
The eyes are clear and the feet are light.
Be Einar Bjørndalen even at the age of 52, he still looks in top shape.
However, he reveals that he doesn’t ski anymore.
– I was on skis today, but my skiing condition is really bad, says the Norwegian legend.
– Nowadays I just run every day. I have two children at home, so nothing else is possible. When I coached in China until 2022, I skied a lot and was in good shape for my age, but now I just help my kids to ski.
How much would you be behind the peaks in, for example, a 10 kilometer sprint race – 10 minutes?
– Definitely not ten minutes, more.
Would you still hit the boards though?
– Shooting is like riding a bike. It will not be forgotten.
When Bjørndalen was still in top shape, biathlon had not seen his equal.
An incredible winner
Ole Einar Bjørndalen won his first Olympic gold in 1998 in Nagano. EPA / AOP
Bjørndalen rose to the top in 1998, when he won his first Olympic gold medal in Nagano at the age of 24 in the sprint race. The Norwegian basically won it two days in a row.
Bjørndalen was in the lead a couple of kilometers before the finish, when the race was stopped due to bad weather. The next day he was allowed to finish first.
The last Olympic gold came from Sochi in 2014, and plaques continued to be collected for a few years after that, until her career ended in 2018.
– My first and second Olympic victories are the most important to me. I still remember everything from both competitions. In 1998, the level was really high. In Sochi, on the other hand, I was already 40 years old, says Bjørndalen.
Ole Einar Bjørndalen won Olympic gold in Sochi at the age of 40. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
Gold, silver and bronze came from the Olympics 8–4–2 and from the World Championships 20–14–11. In the Biathlon World Cup, the Norwegian won 95 individual races.
In addition, one victory came in 2006 from the Cross-Country World Cup.
Bjørndalen says he values that victory as highly as his Olympic gold.
– When I started biathlon in 1993, cross-country skiing was much more popular. I hated it.
– In 2006, I was able to show how high a level our sport is. We could ski harder than the best in the world. My mission was to make our sport number one, and now biathlon is the most popular winter sport in Europe.
Ole Einar Bjørndalen celebrated the victory of the World Cup competition also on the cross-country side in 2006. EPA / AOP
However, Bjørndalen is worried that biathlon is not like cross-country skiing, where one country (Norway) dominates the men’s side and one (Sweden) dominates the women’s side.
– Biathlon has more scope for women, but 1-2 countries for men [Norja ja Ranska] dominated. The countries coming behind need to do things better and find good athletes. Otherwise, we are on a very dangerous path.
– If only a few countries dominate, it is really bad for the popularity of the sport, the interest of sponsors and the sale of TV rights. The situation in cross-country skiing is a disaster. In biathlon, the situation is still under control, but we are teetering on the same edge.
To China as a coach
Ole Einar Bjørndalen is married to Daria Domracheva. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
After his own racing career ended, Bjørndalen started as the head coach of China in 2019. The coaching team also included his wife, a four-time Olympic biathlon champion Daria Domracheva.
Bjørndalen says that they worked very systematically and did a lot of testing to see if the athletes were improving. The sports management above also constantly wanted accurate reports.
– In Europe, everything is much more relaxed, even too relaxed. Maybe combining the two systems could work.
Chinese biathlon rose from nothing to moderate success in a few years.
– We did what we could, Bjørndalen says.
The couple left China’s coaching after the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Ole Einar Bjørndalen says that various jobs keep him busy these days. PDO
Today, Bjørndalen works as an expert for Norway’s TV2. His main job, however, is the purchase of various sports TV rights.
He could still consider coaching – if the conditions are perfect, so to speak.
– Coaching is even more interesting than being a journalist, says the Norwegian.
– But everyday life poses challenges. If I got an offer similar to the one from China, I would leave as soon as tomorrow. The wife also found work, and we had our own nanny.
However, work in Europe is different.
– That would mean that I would be separated from my family 220 days a year. I would never do that. I have small children [yhdeksän- ja kaksivuotias tytär].
Käntt at the age of 12
Ole Einar Bjørndalen excelled in the early part of his career, especially on the track, but he also developed his shooting to excellence through hard work. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
Taking care of your own health has always been important to Bjørndalen.
He tries to eat well and sleep enough.
He doesn’t drink alcohol at all, and it’s been quite some time since the last time.
– I went full-time at the age of 12, he reveals.
– That was the only time. I realized that alcohol is not for me. I wanted to be the best in the world in my sport. I knew it would be hard enough without the hangover.
Medals in the safe
Ole Einar Bjørndalen won the overall World Cup six times. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
Bjørndalen says that he doesn’t want to live too much in the past.
The medals are kept in the safe.
– Although it would be nice to make a nice place for them, and of course it would be nice to remember the medals, but now it is much more important to be with the children than to look to the past.
– I think you can be happy about your past, but you have to live in the present. It is also important for me to stay close to biathlon. I am lucky that it is possible.
