2002 Salt Lake: Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, the greatest ever

Soldier Hollow in the high desert southeast of Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Olympic Biathlon competitions. That venue witnessed possibly the greatest biathlon performances ever by the man who won that memorable Nagano sprint, Ole Einar Bjoerndalen. Although Raphael Poirée won the World Cup Total Score in the two previous seasons and the Olympic season, Bjoerndalen “won” the OWG. Four competitions, four Gold medals; victories by 36, 28 and 43 second margins in the individual, sprint and pursuit, capped by a dominating (second-fastest) anchor leg, to win Gold medal number four by 28 seconds over the star-studded German team.

Kati Wilhelm was the Salt Lake women’s star, winning Sprint Gold, Pursuit Silver in a comeback from 52nd position after three first-prone penalties and anchoring the German ladies to the Gold medal. The legendary Magdalena Forsberg won two Bronze medals and Uschi Disl added two medals to her growing collection.

2006 Torino

Cesana San Sicario hosted the 2006 Olympic Biathlon competitions at a purposefully created venue that has disappeared into the sands of time. Once again, one man dominated the Games, Germany’s Michael Greis. Greis came almost out of nowhere to win three Gold medals: the 20 km individual, (the first-ever) mass start and relay. Prior to the Torino Games, Greis had exactly one previous World Cup win…in the pre-Olympic 20 km individual the previous season at the Olympic venue and just two World Cup third places in the lead-up to the Games. The next season he won the World Cup Total Score.

On the women’s side, Anna Carin (Olofsson) Zidek became the second Swedish woman (after Forsberg) to change from cross-country, becoming a biathlon star by winning first-ever Women’s Olympic Mass Start Gold medal by 18 seconds over Wilhelm.

2010 Vancouver: Germany’s Golden Girl and Kuzmina

The Whistler Olympic Park hosted the 2010 competitions at a compact venue 20 km outside of Whistler proper. German star Magdalena Neuner came to the Games under huge pressure and Gold medal expectations despite Helena Ekholm dominating the World Cup circuit up to the Games. Neuner was immediately set on her heels by the upstart Anastasiya Kuzmina with just two previous World Cup podiums on her resume, topping Neuner by 1.5 seconds to take the Olympic Sprint title. Neuner rebounded with Pursuit and Mass Start Gold medals, going on to win her second of three World Cup Total Score titles by season’s end.

Bjoerndalen added to his medal collection with 20 km individual Silver and relay Gold medals. Yet a rising star emerged that would impact biathlon and the next two winter Olympiads: Martin Fourcade won the Olympic Mass Start Silver medal, the first in a career that would see him win seven medals including five Gold.

2014 Sochi: Fourcade and Domracheva

The Laura Biathlon stadium high in the eastern Caucasus saw “King Ole” cap his OWG career by winning the Games-opening Sprint. In Antholz weeks earlier, he virtually predicted that performance, telling Biathlonworld, “I would like to be strong in the sprint, It is my favorite distance; I hope I can be good in the first race there.” He later added another Gold medal in the first-ever Olympic mixed relay.

Fourcade!

Yet the biggest men’s star was Fourcade. After a disappointing sixth behind Bjoerndalen in the sprint, the French star rebounded with Pursuit Gold, 20 km Individual Gold and 15 km Mass Start Silver. The mass start battle with Emil Hegle Svendsen was one of the most thrilling competitions in Olympic Biathlon history. After two days of postponements due to heavy fog, the competition finally got underway. After a see-saw battle in the final kilometers, Fourcade led Emil Hegle Svendsen into the stadium. Svendsen got the advantage passing on the final corner, but Fourcade rebounded sprinting the last 50 meters to get even with the Norwegian as they approached the finish line. Fourcade stretched his ski, crashing across the finish line as Svendsen raised his hands high in a photo-finish victory.

Domracheva!

Darya Domracheva emerges as the women’s star, becoming the first and only woman to win three Olympic Gold medals in a single OWG. The Belarusian, like Fourcade had a disappointing sprint (9th) behind Kuzmina’s second consecutive Sprint gold medal. However, Domracheva roared back with dominating 37-second pursuit, 1:15 15 km individual and 20-second mass start victories.

Pyeongchang 2018: Fourcade and New Stars

Fourcade added to his legacy in Korea. After another sprint disappointment, he defended his pursuit Gold medal, avenged his Sochi Mass Start loss with another photo-finish, topping his good friend Simon Schempp by the slimmest margin. The French legend added a third Gold medal with a clean-shooting mixed relay anchor leg, again leaving Svendsen (who won Mass Start Bronze) in his wake. Laura Dahlmeier won double Gold medals in the sprint and pursuit early in the Games. However, Domracheva added a Mass Start Silver medal to her collection before making Olympic history, anchoring Belarus to the Women Relay Gold medal. That medal made Domracheva first and only female biathlete to win four Olympic Gold medals.

Beyond these stars, 22-year-old Hanna Oeberg won the 15 km Individual Gold medal and Women’s Relay Silver, while her 20-year-old teammate Sebastian Samuelsson won Pursuit Gold and Relay Silver.

Beijing 2022

Now the question is who will make Olympic history in the upcoming Olympic Biathlon competitions? Among the over 200 men and women competitors, could it be Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, maybe Oeberg or Samuelsson or a French star like Emilien Jacquelin or Quentin Fillon Maillet? Maybe a Boe brother, the French, Swedish or Norwegian relays or someone or some team just under the radar? Stay tuned starting 5 February 2022!

Photos: IBU/Christian Manzoni, IBU Archive, US Biathlon/Art Stegen