The most decorated biathlete in Olympic history — 13 medals across six Olympics.
Ole Einar Bjørndalen was born in Simostranda, Norway in 1974. He won 13 Olympic medals (8 gold) across six Winter Olympics from 1994 to 2018 — the most by any biathlete. He won 20 World Championship titles. He competed at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics at age 44 — the oldest Winter Olympic biathlete. His combination of cross-country skiing speed and rifle shooting accuracy — particularly prone shooting where he was technically the most precise in history — made him dominant for over two decades. He married fellow biathlete Gabriela Koukalova in 2016.
Best Known For
Olympic Gold 8x
Honours & Achievements
Career Honours
- Olympic Gold 8x
- Olympic medals 13 total
- World Champion 20x
Career Journey
Timeline
1974
👶 Born in Simostranda, Norway
2018
🏁 Retired from professional sport
🏆 Olympic Gold 8x
🏆 Olympic medals 13 total
🏆 World Champion 20x