Biathlon: Björndalen surprisingly starts at European Championships

Ole Einar Björndalen, the Norwegian biathlon superstar Ole Einar Björndalen, has not yet had enough of his sport, despite missing out on the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. The South Tyrolean organisers announced on Wednesday that the 43-year-old will be competing surprisingly at the European Biathlon Championships in Ridnaun.

The eight-time Olympic champion had failed to meet the sporting criteria for Pyeongchang and had not received a ticket for the games in South Korea from Norway’s Olympic Committee. The missing of his seventh Winter Games inevitably raised the question of the early end of his career.

Björndalen made his Olympic debut at the home game in Lillehammer in 1994.94 victories in 575 World Cup races, 45 World Cup and 13 Olympic medals (8 gold/4 silver/1 bronze) adorn the impressive record of the “cannibal”. In the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, Björndalen won gold in all four starts.