Ole Einar Björndalen announced his retirement today, Tuesday. The Norwegian biathlon star has decided to move away from active sport.
“Joy and motivation are still unbroken,” said Björndalen at a press conference specially called for this purpose. “I would have liked to have continued for a few more years.” Recent cardiac arrhythmias, however, prevented this.
The decision was made among his family, with whom he wanted to spend more time after his career. “My family and friends have always been my anchor,” Björndalen emphasised the special importance of his family members.
Björndalen won eight gold medals at an Olympic competition between 1998 and 2014, and in his long career he won a total of over 94 World Cup titles. However, he did not manage to qualify for Pyeongchang 2018 in the end.
“I was absolutely below my expectations,” Björndalen looked back on his personally disappointing season.
Whether and how the father of a two-year-old daughter will remain in the sport is not yet known. According to his own information, however, he has some options for the period after his active career. Among other things, President Anders Besseberg of the IBU brought Björndalen into discussion as his successor.