Magdalena Neuner

Magdalena Holzer was born in the German alpine resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the second of four children of bank clerk Paul Neuner and his wife Margit.

[6] She won 29 races at the biathlon Student's Cup of the German Ski Association (DSV),[3] claiming the overall title in her respective age-group for four years in a row from 1999 to 2002.

[4] With four wins at European level, Holzer qualified for the 2004 Junior/Youth World Championships in Haute Maurienne, France, where she won the sprint and relay events, as well as silver in the pursuit.

[1] Neuner returned as one of the favourites at the 2006 Junior/Youth World Championships in Presque Isle, Maine, United States, where she won two more titles (pursuit and relay) in addition to a silver medal in the sprint race.

At the World Cup in Kontiolahti in March 2006, Neuner achieved her first top ten finishes: she was fourth in the sprint and came in ninth in the mass start race.

[18] Following a 14th place in the mass start, Neuner, alongside Martina Beck, Andrea Henkel and Kati Wilhelm, also won gold in the relay race on 11 February 2007.

[25] She claimed her eighth World Cup win at the mass start in Oberhof in January 2008,[26] and later that month won the relay race in Ruhpolding with the German team.

[28] She won gold in the sprint and the pursuit, but withdrew from the individual race to prepare for the senior world championships alongside her German team mates.

[46] She beat team mate Kati Wilhelm by 0.2 seconds in the Ruhpolding sprint and also won the following pursuit event, which marked her World Cup wins twelve and thirteen.

On 21 February 2009, Neuner claimed silver as part Germany's women's relay team, alongside Martina Beck, Andrea Henkel and Kati Wilhelm.

[6] Neuner later revealed that due to public expectations and constant media attention, the 2008–09 season had been extremely difficult for her psychologically, and she even briefly contemplated retirement.

She only reluctantly agreed to interrupt training and participate in the summer event, which is contested on roller ski, however she went on to win gold in all three competitions (sprint, pursuit and mixed relay).

After missing two targets, she had been trailing by as much as 29 seconds, but she pushed the pace and a clean final standing shoot allowed her to overtake Russia's Olga Zaitseva on the last lap.

[76] After the race, Neuner made the announcement not to participate in the relay, citing mental exhaustion and her desire to give all of her team mates the chance to win a medal.

She came in second in the Kontiolahti pursuit,[79] and third in Oslo's mass start race,[80] which increased her World Cup lead after taking over the yellow bib in Vancouver.

[89] At the World Cup stops in February in the United States, Neuner returned to good health and showed more consistency; her worst result was a 6th-place finish.

Running the last leg for Germany, Neuner started in fourth, 67.5 seconds off the lead, but she pulled back the entire time and moved in front on the last lap.

She began the winter in Östersund with the best season start of her career, beating Tora Berger by 0.2 seconds in the sprint to claim her 25th World Cup win.

[105] Neuner suffered one of the biggest mishaps of her career, when she fired on the wrong targets in the Nove Mesto pursuit, dropping from first to seventh place.

In February, Neuner claimed a double sprint and pursuit victory in Oslo despite suffering from a cold, which forced her to withdraw from the mass start.

With Tina Bachmann, Miriam Gössner and Andrea Henkel she won her second gold medal in Ruhpolding in the women's relay on 10 March 2012, despite incurring a penalty loop.

Her 12th gold medal made her the second most successful biathlete of all time at world championships, behind male record holder Ole Einar Bjørndalen.

[111] At Neuner's first World Cup victory in the individual discipline in January 2010, she compensated for a total time penalty of two minutes on the 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) cross-country course (incurred by two additional shooting errors).

The standing shoot had long been her weak point and her hit percentage was well below average in the World Cup field, although it had improved considerably in her later seasons.

[117] In 2008, Neuner trained with Bundeswehr shooting coach and former large calibre world champion, Rudi Krenn, and subsequently changed her stance slightly.

[127] Following her three world championship titles in 2007, Neuner quickly became one of Germany's most popular female sport stars, often nicknamed "Gold Lena" in the media.

Her second gold medal win in the Olympic mass start was seen live by 9.75 million television viewers (a 31.5 per cent market share), the most watched programme of the Games in Germany.

[134] The Forum Nordicum, a consortium of journalists form twelve countries, named her Biathlete of the Year in the 2007–08 and 2009–10 seasons, beating out her male counterparts Ole Einar Bjørndalen and Emil Hegle Svendsen respectively.

[137] Along with all Olympic medal winners, she received the Silberne Lorbeerblatt (Silver Laurel Leaf) in 2010, the highest state decoration for athletes in Germany.

One year later, she claimed gold in the sprint race in Kontiolahti, Finland, and in 2006, she again won two titles (pursuit and relay) in Presque Isle, Maine, United States.

A young woman in multicoloured winter sportswear and with the number 19 on her jersey smiles into the camera, standing in a field covered with snow. A forest and many onlookers can be seen in the background. She holds ski poles in her right hand and has a rifle on her back.
Holzer at the World Cup in Antholz , January 2006
A woman cross country skis uphill towards the camera, holding a red ski pole in each hand. She wears black winter sportswear, a red cap and a yellow jersey with the number 7. A second skier behind her can be seen on the left.
Neuner in the yellow bib of the Overall World Cup leader, March 2008
A woman on cross country skies wearing a red cap, a white jersey with the number 15 and black trousers skies away from a shooting range covered in snow. Half a dozen people in the background are shooting while lying on the ground.
Neuner leaves the shooting range at the World Cup in Antholz , January 2009
A woman in multicoloured winter sportswear which features the Olympic rings on her cheast and the number 2 in the center, moves twoards the camera. She is pictured in an area covered in snow. A second person can be seen in the background to her right. An out of focus red-and-white flag covers the upper parts of the image.
Neuner shortly before crossing the finish line during the Olympic mass start race
A blonde woman, wearing a predominately black jacket and blue jeans, stands in front of a large poster of a winter landscape, smiles and looks to the right. She holds a microphone in her right hand and several gold medals in her left hand.
Neuner with her ten Biathlon World Championships gold medals
A woman in predominantly black winter sportswear, wearing a red cap and a bright red jersey with the number 13, is pictured in a forested area covered with snow. She leans slightly forward and holds ski poles in her hands. There is a green conifer tree behind her and a second person can be seen in the background out of focus on the right.
Neuner skies uphill at a World Cup race in Trondheim , March 2009
A woman stands on cross country skies, pictured from the side. She skies in an upright position leaning slightly forward onto her ski poles. She wears a red cap, a white and green jersey and black trousers and has a rifle on her back. An advertising board with ten people behind it can be seen in the background.
Neuner using the cross-country skating technique , March 2009
A woman in multicoloured winter sportswear, wearing a red cap and a jersey with the number 3, holds a rifle in a horizontal position. Her rifle has advertising on its side, while snow falls in the background.
Neuner shooting at the World Cup in Trondheim , March 2009.
A woman in predominantly black winter sportswear, looking concentrated, holds a rifle which points into the sky. She stands on a red mat and a photographer with a large object lens kneels on the right hand side. Parts of a shooting range covered in snow can be seen in the background.
Neuner prepares to shoot in the standing position in Antholz , January 2009
A blonde woman in casual clothes smilies into the camera. She wears a top with a narrow pattern of black and white strips and stands in a room with traditional Bavarian interior.
Neuner in Wallgau , Germany, May 2009
A woman, wearing a predominately yellow and pink jacket and a black cap, stands in front of a blue background, looking to the right. She hold flowers in her hands and has a gold medal around her neck.
Neuner accepting her Olympic gold medal for the pursuit race