Magdalena Neuner, whose biography, sports career and personal life is presented in our article, is a legendary German biathlete, two-time Olympic champion and 12-time winner in various disciplines of the world championships.
Biography
Magdalena Neuner (photo in the article) was born in February 1987 in the small village of Walgau near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a town in Bavaria (Germany). Lena was the second child of four children in the family. Magdalena's younger sister, Anna, is also involved in biathlon.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a world famous ski resort, so it is not surprising that the girl started skiing at the age of four. Five years later, while still a child, Magdalena Neuner picked up a biathlon rifle for the first time, and since then this sport has become her only one.
The beginning of a professional career
Despite the fact that Lena's talent began to appear already at the first trainings, her studies were in the first place for her. Only after graduation was Neuner able to fully concentrate on training and performances.
The results were not long in coming: Magdalena climbed to the highest step of the podium at the youth world championships seven times. At the age of 18, she was recognized as the best young athlete of the year in Germany. These figures attracted the attention of the head coach of the German national team Uwe Mussigant, who began to involve her in performances in the first team.
Debut season in the World Cup
In January 2006, largely due to the injury of the legendary Magdalena Neuner, she took part in the most prestigious biathlon tournament for the first time. The debut was unsuccessful - in the sprint on the Ruhpolding track, she took 41st place and did not score her first test points.
Lena corrected her mistake already at the next pursuit, where she was able to win back 20 positions. At the next stage in Antholz, Italy, she finished 19th in the sprint and 11th in the persuit. But Neuner did not go to the Olympics in Turin - she could not yet compete with much eminent athletes for a place in the German national team.
At the World Cup stage in Finnish Kontiolahti, the biathlete first got to the flower ceremony - she stopped a step away from the prizes in the sprint race. In total, in the 2005/06 season, Magdalena Neuner participated in 10 races, scored 164 test points and took 34th place in the overall ranking.
New "Queen of Biathlon"
After a not very successful starting stage in Östersund, biathlete Magdalena Neuner began her ascent to world fame. First, she became the second in the relay team in Hochfilzen, and on January 5, 2007, her finest hour came. At the Oberhof track, she became the winner in the sprint and the bronze medalist in the pursuit.
With her first individual victories, Neuner was able to secure a spot on the relay team. In that season, she became the second in Ruhpolding and the winner - at the World Championships in Antholz. But this could not be compared with her individual performance: Lena became a two-time world champion (in sprint and pursuit), and also won two victories at the World Cup stages in Holmenkollen and Khanty-Mansiysk.
According to the results of the season, Magdalena Neuner scored 720 credit points and became the fourth, losing only to compatriots Andrea Henkel and Kati Vilhelm, as well as Sweden's Anna Karin Olofsson.
The invincible "Golden Girl" of the German biathlon
Season 2007/08 Magdalena Neuner began in the status of one of the main contenders for victory in the World Cup. But in the first two stages, Lena did not please her fans at all. The reason for this was the catastrophic situation with the accuracy of shooting, especially in a standing position. Even the "reactive" speed of the athlete on the track could not correct the situation.
Starting from the stage in Pokljuka, where Neuner was the best in the relay, Magdalena gradually gained momentum. She won the mass start in Oberhof, then became a three-time world champion in Östersund (in the women's and mixed relay, as well as in the mass start), was the best in the sprint in Pyeongchang and Khanty-Mansiysk. Having scored 818 points in the end, she became the owner of the big Crystal Globe as the best biathlete of the season.
In the next World Cup, Lena did not slow down. She climbed the pedestal 10 times, and 6 times - to the highest step. However, this time the competition both within the national team and from other biathletes did not allow her to become the best again. According to the results of the season, Magdalena Neuner took 4th place in the overall ranking.
Olympic triumph
Lena began her preparations for the Olympics in Vancouver from the third stage of the World Cup in Pokljuka, where she became third in the sprint and second in the pursuit. Having missed the stage in her native Oberhof due to an injury, Neuner again climbed the podium twice in Ruhpolding, and then left no chance for anyone in the individual and sprint races in Antholz.
At her first and, as it turned out, the last Olympics in her career, Magdalena was supposed to win the sprint, but due to one miss she lost to Slovak Kuzmina. In the pursuit race, Neuner did not leave any of her rivals a chance and became an Olympic champion, and a few days later she added another one to her collection. gold medal for the Mass Start victory.
In addition to victories at the Olympics, the biathlete ended the season quite smoothly and won the Crystal Globe for the second time.
The sudden departure of a star
The next season, Magdalena Neuner showed fantastic results - she only once did not enter the top ten in the finishing protocols. However, due to missed races due to illness, she became only fifth in the World Cup.
Season 2011/12 Lena started just gorgeous. At the very first stage in Östersund, she became the best in the sprint and twice third - in the individual race and persuit. Magdalena Neuner missed only three races for the whole season, climbed the podium 20 times, won 11 times. At the end of the year, she scored 1216 credit points and again took first place. In this regard, the statement of the German biathlete about the end of her sports career sounded even more sensational.
Failed modeling career
In 2007, a beautiful and very popular athlete was noticed in Playboy magazine, but the eighteen-year-old biathlete refused to have a candid photo shoot. Magdalena Neuner later nevertheless starred in an advertisement for underwear from famous brand May.
Personal life
Magdalena Neuner is famous not only for her victories and titles, but also for her natural beauty. Like many other professional athletes, Lena's personal life depended on the training and competition schedule, so it was difficult with her personal life. It is not surprising that the first serious relationship for her was an affair with a biathlete from Austria, Franz Perwein, whom the girl met at junior tournaments. The couple seemed happy and strong, but two years later they parted.
After the break, Magdalena Neuner got a serviceman for the German national team, Bjorn Weisheit, who was almost 15 years older than her. After a year and a half, they parted culturally and even continued to work in the same team.
At the end of 2009, the biathlete announced that she had fallen in love again. As it turned out, her childhood friend became her lover - a simple carpenter from Magdalena's native village named Josef Holzer. Until now, most Neuner fans believe that it was because of this relationship that the "Queen of Biathlon" decided to end professional career at the very peak of form and worldwide fame.
In March 2014, Magdalena, already in a position, married Josef, and two months later gave birth to a daughter, whom she named Verena-Anne.
Loyal German fans expected that after the birth of the child, Lena, like many athletes, would return to biathlon. But disappointment awaited them - in November 2016, the Golden Girl gave birth to a son, who was named Josef.
Now Magdalena Neuner devotes most of her time to her family, with whom she lives in her native Garmisch-Partenkirchen. They are still meeting with their fans, promoting skiing, and also the legend of the German and world biathlon loves to knit.
Magdalena Neuner(German Magdalena Neuner; born February 9, 1987, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany) is a German biathlete, one of the most titled athletes in the history of this sport. Two-time Olympic champion in 2010, 12-time world champion (women's record), three-time World Cup winner (2007/08, 2009/10, 2011/12), winner of seven small World Cups, three-time world champion in summer biathlon. Best Female Athlete of the Year in Germany 2007, 2011 and 2012.
Sports career
Magdalena's childhood passed in the small Bavarian village of Wallgau, 15 km from Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Study skiing She started at the age of four. Later, as a member of the SC Wallgau ski club, she tried herself in different winter activities sports. Magdalena was brought to the biathlon section by her parents at the age of nine, where she immediately liked it very much. Even then, her talent manifested itself, but the decision to play seriously in the sports field was made by Neuner only at the age of sixteen, after graduation. Results on entry levels biathlon competitive hierarchy was not long in coming: in the first four years of performances, Magdalena won seven top awards in the biathlon world championships among youth and became a multiple winner of the national youth biathlon championships in Germany. Lena got her first medals from the Junior World Championship back in 2004, when she won the relay and sprint, and also finished second in the pursuit. A year later, she took three more medals from similar competitions: gold in the sprint and two silvers (in the pursuit and relay). The 2006 Junior World Championship was also marked for Neuner with three awards: two gold (in pursuit and relay) and one silver for sprint performance. At her last junior world championship in 2008, Neuner again won victories in the sprint and pursuit. These successes opened her way to the second most important echelon of world biathlon - the European Biathlon Cup. In the 2005/2006 season, Magdalena won three races and took the final fifth place in overall standings. Such significant results allowed the head coach of the German national team Uwe Müssigangu to include Neuner in the main national team for the World Cup.
The debut of Magdalena Neuner in the World Cup took place on January 13, 2006, where she, acting as a reservist, replaced the temporarily retired Uschi Diesel. The first race, a sprint in Ruhpolding, Germany, turned out to be unsuccessful for her - 41st final place without credits in the overall World Cup standings. But a few weeks later, on March 16, in Finnish Kontiolahti, Magdalena managed to finish fourth.
The first victory in the World Cup was won by Neuner the following year. January 5, 2007 Magdalena was unmatched in the 7.5 km sprint. A little later, the first victories at the World Championships came - in Anterselva, Neuner showed outstanding results, winning individual victories in the sprint and pursuit, and taking the third gold for herself as part of the relay team. Thus, Neuner became the youngest three-time biathlon world champion in history. As a result, at the beginning of 2007 in Germany, Magdalena Neuner was recognized as the best athlete in winter sports at the end of the season and entered the recognized best sports team(women's German biathlon team). At the end of the year, German sports journalists chose her as the best female athlete of the year in Germany.
The next season brought Magdalena three more top awards world championship (in Östersund she had no equal in the race from the general start, and the German relay teams in the relay and mixed), victory in the overall World Cup and two Small Crystal Globes (in sprint races and races from the general start).
The 2008/2009 season was not as successful for Neuner as the previous ones. Despite the fact that at the end of the season she won another Small crystal globe(this time - in individual races), she did not manage to win a single personal award at the Pyeongchang World Championship, as well as achieve significant success in the World Cup - at the end of the season, Lena remained below the line of winners of the overall standings.
Magdalena Neuner is a famous German athlete, a biathlete who reached unprecedented heights at a young age and announced the end of her sports career at the age of 25, in 2011.
Magdalena was born in a village near the Bavarian town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the village of Wallgau, on February 9, 1987. In addition to Lena, other children were brought up in the family of Paul and Margit Neuner: the elder brother of the athlete Paul, as well as the younger ones - Christoph and sister Anna.
The younger sister followed in the footsteps of her older sister and also took up biathlon as a child, which, however, is not surprising, because Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a famous ski resort so love for winter sports locals imbibed with mother's milk. From the age of four, little Magdalena was a member of the SC Wallgau ski club, and at nine, her parents sent the girl to the biathlon section. Magdalena's trainer was Bernhard Krell, an experienced master of his craft.
The future champion began to professionally participate in competitions only after graduating from school, at the age of sixteen.
Sport
From the very beginning, the career of a biathlete was successful. The girl showed excellent results, having won seven medals in the German biathlon championships among juniors. Lena won her first award at the youth championship in 2004; in 2005, at a similar championship, the athlete received a gold medal for winning the sprint and a silver medal for the pursuit and relay.
Magdalena managed to repeat this achievement at the junior championships two more times: in 2006 and 2007. 2006 was a decisive year for the athlete, since in the 2005/2006 season she was entrusted with participating in competitions for the European Cup. The girl took fifth place in the overall ranking, won three races, which became a kind of pass to the world big sport. By that time, the athlete’s height was already 165 cm, and her weight was 56 kg.
In January 2006, the Bavarian made her debut at the World Cup Championship. As part of the reserve team, she replaced Uschi Disl and finished 41st, but in the next competition, held in Kontiolahti on March 16, she finished fourth. From this moment in brilliant sports biography The young biathlete began a series of victories, with rare exceptions of misses.
2007 was a stellar year for Neuner in the full sense of the word. In January, the talented athlete won the World Cup sprint and won three gold medals at the World Championships. At the age of 20, Magdalena became the youngest three-time world champion, at the same time in her homeland she was chosen the best athlete of the year for the first time.
Since the end of 2007, Magdalena Neuner has periodically experienced health problems. After the races, the girl began to have a strong cough, which reporters attributed to asthma attacks. But the athlete and her coach did not make statements about a serious illness. Most likely, Magdalena just got sick with a cold every time.
In the same year, three more awards awaited her: a victory in the World Cup in the overall standings and two Small Crystal Globes. The 2008-2009 season was not the most successful for Magdalena. In the overall score, she took fourth place, but in the individual race she won the Small World Cup.
The next championship brought Neuner victory in the overall World Cup and in the mixed relay. In the same 2010, the biathlete won the fourth Small Crystal Globe and another Crystal Globe, confirming her status as the best athlete in the country.
A year later, in 2011, Magdalena won the sprint race and the overall World Cup standings, becoming the owner of three bronze medals at once. In December 2011, the 25-year-old girl announced the end of her career, the brightest and most dizzying in the history of biathlon. Commenting on leaving the sport in an interview, Magdalena noted that she had hopes for a colleague. In a conversation with a reporter, the girl also denied speculation about her future coaching career.
Winter Olympic Games 2010 became Magdalena's debut and the only one in her career. In the sprint race, the girl had every chance of success, but an unfortunate mistake prevented her from receiving this award. As a result, an athlete from Slovakia bypassed the German biathlete, and Neuner got a silver medal.
The young champion won two other medals, having won the pursuit race and the race from the general start, showing brilliant results. Gold medals made the girl a two-time Olympic champion in biathlon, for which she was given a special honor: at the closing of the Olympic Games, Magdalena was entrusted to carry the banner of the German national team.
Despite being constantly busy, exhausting workouts and regular participation in championships and other competitions, Magdalena also finds time for personal hobbies. Lena is a versatile person, she enjoys playing the harp, motorcycles and knitting. These hobbies require time, which is not easy to find in between professional sports. Magdalena did not stay away from the fashion for tattoos - on the right shoulder of the athlete, an image in the form of a Chinese character flaunts.
Neuner's official position is a customs officer. Fans and sports colleagues lovingly call Magdalena Shooting star, which in classical English means "meteor", and literally - "shooting star". A beautiful nickname that accurately reflects the character and professional qualities of a young biathlete.
Friends and relatives know Magdalena as a cheerful person, it is not for nothing that the girl smiles in many photos. Bright appearance and natural charm played a role when Neuner became famous: in February 2007 she was offered to participate in a candid photo shoot for the famous magazine. The girl refused to publish her photos in the Playboy publication, but three years later she gladly starred in an advertisement for Mey lingerie.
Since 2012, Magdalena Neuner has been realizing the talent of a TV presenter. The athlete works as a commentator on sports events in biathlon. Neuner started as a reporter Summer Olympics in London from the brand Adidas. Two years later, it became known that Neuner would work in Russia at the Sochi Olympics. The biathlete twice - in 2015 and 2017 - appeared as an expert for the German television company ARD. The athlete professionally evaluates the work of colleagues and creates interesting reports.
Personal life
Once the German press told the fans of the famous athlete that she was dating her Austrian colleague Franz Peyrvin. The romance lasted about two years, and in 2008 the couple broke up. A year later, there were changes in the personal life of the biathlete. In 2009, Magdalena announced a relationship with former classmate Josef Holzer, a simple carpenter from her native Wallgau.
The wedding took place on March 29, 2014. The athlete at that time was already pregnant. On May 30, Lena gave birth to a girl, who was named Verena-Anna. After the end of her career, the athlete enjoys quiet life with her husband and daughter.
In May 2016, Magdalena Neuner announced that she was expecting a child again. The couple had a son in November. Happy parents gave the boy the name Josef.
Now Magdalena has a personal profile on Instagram, there is a page in “
Date of Birth: 09.02.1987
Citizenship: Germany
German biathlete, six-time biathlon world champion. Silver medalist of the 2010 Olympic Games in the sprint. The youngest winner in the overall World Cup (season 2007/08) in history. Three-time world champion in summer biathlon. After winning 3 gold medals at the World Championships in 2007, Neuner became one of the most popular sportswomen in Germany. Best Sportswoman 2007 in Germany.
Sports career
For the first time, Magdalena was brought to the biathlon section by her parents at the age of nine, where she immediately liked it very much. Even then, her talent manifested itself, but the decision to seriously concentrate on the sports field was made already at the age of sixteen, after graduating from school. The results at the junior levels of the biathlon competitive hierarchy were not long in coming: Magdalena is a seven-time biathlon world champion among youth and a multiple winner of the national youth biathlon championships in Germany. In 2005, in Germany, she was recognized by sports journalists as the junior athlete of the year. Lena got her first medals from the Junior World Championship back in 2004, when she won the relay and pursuit, and also finished second in the sprint. A year later, she took three more medals from a similar championship: gold in the sprint and two silver (in pursuit and relay). The 2006 Junior World Championship was also marked for Neuner with three awards: two gold (pursuit and relay) and one silver for sprint performance. At her last junior world championship in 2007, the German was content with victories in the sprint and pursuit.
These successes opened her way to the second most important echelon of world biathlon - the European Cup competition. In the 2005/2006 season Magdalena won three stages of the European Cup (final fifth place in the overall standings) and became the bronze medalist of the 2006 European Championship in the relay. Victories in the European Cup allowed the head coach of the German national team Uwe Myussigang to put the athlete on the World Cup.
The debut of Magdalena Neuner in the World Cup took place on January 13, 2006, as a reservist instead of the temporarily retired Uscha Disl. The first race, a sprint in Ruhpolding, Germany, was unsuccessful for her - 41st final place without credit points in the overall World Cup standings. But a few weeks later, on March 16, 2006, in the Finnish Kontiolahti, Magdalena managed to finish fourth.
The following season, on January 5, 2007, she won her first race, a 7.5 km sprint. The distinctive style of Magdalena at the beginning of the 2006/2007 season was very high speed on the track, but uncertain shooting, especially from a standing position. Therefore, many sports commentators and experts consider her the direct "heir" of Uscha Disl, an outstanding German biathlete who had the same features. Although on this occasion Magdalena personally noted: “Each person is unique. I will not be the second Uschi Disl, but I will be the first Magdalena Neuner.” However, by the end of the season, the athlete managed to significantly improve her shooting performance and win a number of races at the Biathlon World Championship and the last two stages of the 2006/2007 World Cup. As a result, at the beginning of 2007 in Germany, Magdalena Neuner was recognized as the best athlete in winter sports in the 2006/2007 season and entered the recognized best sports team (German women's biathlon relay team). At the end of 2007, German sports journalists chose her as the best female athlete in Germany for the whole year.
In addition to biathlon, Magdalena is fond of music (playing the harp), motorcycles and needlework. Officially, she is a customs officer. In addition to his native German, he speaks English. Among fans, sports journalists and fellow athletes, she is known by the diminutive name "Lena" and has the nickname "Shooting star", in itself a pun: on English language this phrase means "meteor", and literally translates as "shooting star" - which quite accurately reflects the occupation and perception of Magdalena by fans.
Shooting Neuner
The average shooting accuracy for a career is 74%. The highest percentage of Magdalena's accuracy in the stele was in her debut season- 78%. In the 2006-2007 season, the average percentage of accurate hits fell to 70%, in the victorious 2007-2008 season for her, this figure was 73%. In the 2008-2009 season, it was equal to 76% (this is the 78th result out of 113 participants). 73% of which Magdalena Neuner showed in the 2007-2008 season became worst result among the winners of the World Cup (for comparison: Andrea Henkel - 84%, Katya Wilhelm - 87%, Sandrine Bailly - 81%). Neuner's shooting was often a topic of discussion in the German media.
Ski training Neuner
Neuner is one of the fastest biathletes in the world. In the 2006-2007 season, out of 24 races she conducted, she was in the top three fastest races in 19. The following season, in 19 out of 25 races, she showed best time at a distance, and in the remaining 6 she was in the top three. Magdalena conducts a very intensive preparation for the season (during the preparatory cycle for the 2006-2007 World Cup, Neuner covered 5300 km on skis and rollerskis).
Winter Olympics 2010
The Olympics, currently taking place in Vancouver, was the first for Magdalena in her career. In debut for myself Olympic race- sprint for 7.5 kilometers Magdalena, leading along the distance, had every chance of winning. But a mistake made on the second firing line became fatal. The time spent on the passage of the penalty loop delayed the Olympic triumph of Neuner, who lost as a result to the representative of Slovakia Anastasia Kuzmina a second and five tenths. The result of the race for Magdalena was a silver Olympic medal and all the chances for a successful performance in the pursuit.
2009/10
First round of the 2009/10 season. in Ostersund, Sweden, Magdalena missed due to a viral infection. Therefore, the report of her performances is conducted from the second stage in the Austrian Hochfilzen. At this stage, Neuner competed in the sprint and pursuit, placing 29th and 28th respectively.
At the next event in Pokljuka, Slovenia, Neuner finished 18th in the individual race, and in the next two races Magdalena was on the podium both times, placing 3rd in the sprint and 2nd in the pursuit.
The fourth stage of the World Cup at home in the German Oberhof was also missed by her like the first. This time for back pain.
At the fifth stage in Ruhpolding, Magdalena showed an excellent ski run, but poor shooting, and took two third places (in the sprint (2 misses) and the mass start (5 misses)). And her completely unsuccessful shooting in the relay, where Lena "earned" 2 penalty loops, largely determined the fact that the German team was outside the prize podium.
The last pre-Olympic sixth stage in the highlands in the Italian Antholz-Anterselva was a triumph for Magdalena. In the individual race, for the first time in the season, she climbed the first step of the podium, which was her first victory in her life in this type of racing. Lena showed excellent ski training, and despite 3 penalty minutes, she came to the finish line first. In the next race in the sprint, she again showed excellent physical form and with one miss on the standing, she again outstripped all competitors, thereby issuing her 16th individual victory at the World Cup. In the pursuit race that took place on the basis of the results of the sprint, Magdalena had a chance to score a hat-trick at the stage, but a miss at the last firing line allowed her teammate Andrea Henkel to get ahead of Lena and score a victory. Neuner finished second.
2008/09
According to the results of the 2008/2009 Biathlon World Cup (including the World Championship in Pyeongchang, South Korea), Magdalena Neuner took 4th place in the overall standings (891 points). Helena Jonsson, winner of the Big Crystal Globe, and Kati Wilhelm, second with the same number of points (952), (Jonsson won the BCG with additional indicators) was 61 points, from third place, which was taken by Tura Berger - 3 points. In the 2008-2009 season, Magdalena Neuner became the owner of the Small Crystal Globe in the standings of individual races.
2007/08
According to the results of the Biathlon World Cup 2007/2008. out of ten stages (including the World Championship in Östersund, Sweden), Magdalena Neuner took 1st place in the overall standings (818 points). Superiority over the closest pursuer, Sandrine Bailly, was 13 points. In general, the season turned out to be uneven for the athlete, even before it began, some sports commentators and journalists doubted Magdalena's ability to consolidate the success achieved a year earlier, referring to the “second year syndrome” among the newcomers who clearly showed themselves and illness during late pre-season training. The first stages did not really bring finishes on the podium, however, they allowed me to score a significant number of points both in the overall standings of the World Cup and in its individual disciplines. Starting from the stage in Slovenian Pokljuka, Magdalena's results have improved significantly, she managed to finish several times in the prize-winners, both in personal and team competition. Her first individual victory of the 2007/2008 season. was the mass start in Thuringian Oberhof, where the athlete finished with a very significant advantage with the flag of Germany in her hands. The series of victories and podiums continued at the World Championships in Östersund, which was also included in the World Cup points standings, and its beginning was very disappointing for Magdalena - on her birthday, leading the sprint race on the track, she made three misses in standing shooting and ended up far beyond the winners. But in the mass start, as well as in the women's and mixed relay races, the athlete became the world champion, and the team races of the German national teams were won largely thanks to her participation. The next stage, in the South Korean Pyeongchang, was successful in the sprint, but in the subsequent pursuit Magdalena got lost on the track and lost more than a 20-second advantage over Sandrine Bailly and failed to impose a fight on either her or the other winners. However, after another successful stage for her in Khanty-Mansiysk, Magdalena led the overall World Cup standings and won the "small globe" in the mass start, despite another upcoming race in this standings. Despite mediocre results in the final races in Holmenkollen, Norway, the athlete also won victories in the sprint and overall World Cup standings, as her main rivals Andrea Henkel and Sandrine Bailly performed even worse.
2006/2007
According to the results of the Biathlon World Cup 2006/2007. out of nine stages (including the World Championship in Antholz-Anterselva, Italy), Magdalena Neuner took 4th place in the overall standings (720 points). The backlog from the winner Andrea Henkel was 150 points, from the third place occupied by Anna-Karin Olofsson - 140 points. The advantage over the closest pursuer, Florence Baverel-Robert, was 49 points.
The first full season in the World Cup was more than successful for Magdalena, although its beginning turned out to be inexpressive: the only success before the start of the “golden classic” (three stages in Oberhof, Ruhpolding and Antholz-Anterselva) was a silver medal in the relay in Austrian Hochfilzen. The first career victory came during the sprint race in Oberhof, but before the start of the World Championships, despite a couple more successes, few people seriously took the opportunity of Magdalena's participation in the fight for championship medals. All the more unexpected were her two victories in a row in the sprint and the pursuit race, and in the first race Magdalena did not allow a single miss and created such a big reserve for the pursuit race that she confidently finished first there, despite four misses on the firing lines while standing. The athlete won the third gold medal as part of the German women's relay team. The series of victories and podiums continued after the World Championship, the final stage of the season in Khanty-Mansiysk was especially successful for Magdalena: 1 victory and 1 second place. On the other hand, a large number of shooting misses and the confident performance of her rivals did not allow her to rise above fourth place in the overall World Cup standings, although the demonstrated potential left no doubt about Magdalena's ability to fight for all the most high places and biathlon titles.
Awards
Sportswoman of the Year in Germany - 2007.
Rookie Biathlete of the Year - 2007.
Biathlete of the Year - 2007, 2008.
Laureate of the "Golden Ski" of the Association ski types Germany (DSV) - 2007, 2008.
Biathlete of the season at Forum Nordicum - 2008.
Personal life
Neuner has lived in the small Bavarian town of Walgau since birth. In 2007, she bought an apartment here for her grandmother. Neuner dated and corresponded for two years with former Austrian biathlete Franz Peyrvin, whom she met during the 2006 Biathlon Youth World Championships. In January 2008 they broke up. Magdalena is fond of knitting and this was often mentioned in the media. She has a knitting blog. In February 2007, Neuner turned down an offer from Playboy magazine.
09.02.2016
Magdalena Neuner
Neuner Magdalena
World champion
Neuner Magdalena was born on February 9, 1987 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. There are four children in the Neuner family: the older brother Paul, as well as Christoph and Anna, the younger brother and sister of Magdalena. She spent all her childhood in the small Bavarian village of Wallgau, where she later began to live. She started skiing at the age of four and was a member of the SC Wallgau ski club. At the age of nine, her parents brought her to the biathlon section, which she immediately liked. She showed herself there as a talented biathlete, she decided to compete in competitions only from the age of sixteen, after graduating from school.
Good results in biathlon competitions appeared immediately. During the first four years of performances, Neuner managed to win seven awards in the World Championships in the youth team. She received her first medal at the Junior Championship in 2004, winning the relay and sprint, and was also able to finish second in the race. The following year, she received three more medals in similar competitions. In 2006, at the junior competition, Neuner again won three awards: two gold and one silver medal. The year 2008 was her last Junior Championship, where the biathlete becomes the winner in the race and sprint.
Thanks to such successes, Magdalena received the right to compete for the European Cup. In the 2005/2006 season, he wins three races and takes the fifth final place in the overall standings. Such significant results made it possible to include Neuner in the national team to fight for the World Cup. Magdalena made her debut at the World Cup on January 13, 2006, where she, being in reserve, temporarily replaced Uschi Diesel, who had retired from the race. In the first race and sprint, she took only 41st place without credits, but already at the competition in Kontiolahti on March 16, 2006 she finished fourth. She won her first World Cup victory the following year.
Having shown excellent results at the World Championships in Anterselva, she won her third gold medal, becoming a three-time Champion, the youngest in the history of biathlon. At the end of 2007, she was recognized by journalists as the best female athlete of the year in Germany. The following season, she received three more awards in the World Championship: the World Cup and two Small Crystal Globes. The series of victories at the Championship in Östersund continued. Made a significant contribution to the victory of the German team. Thus, completing the Championship with a six-time champion.
The 2008/2009 season was not so successful, although Magdalena received the Crystal Globe, but did not win a single individual award. Did not achieve significant success at the 2009/2010 World Cup. Olympic season, the most successful in her sports career. The January stages did not bring her victories: the second and third place, but already at the last stage in Fort Kent, she collected a complete collection of awards. She won her twentieth anniversary victory in Slovenia, although she made two misses, she nevertheless became the best in the race. Although Neuner missed the first stage of this season due to illness. As a result, 3rd place in the sprint and 2nd in the race.
The next stage, held in Oberhof, Neuner missed due to a back injury, which she received during the warm-up before the first race. At the competitions in Ruhpolding, she took 3rd place twice, but her performance on her native land disappointed with the failure of the relay. At the last sixth stage, held in Antholz-Anterselva, Magdalena showed excellent preparation and came to the finish line first, despite the penalty minutes. Having made only one miss in the sprint race, she nevertheless showed an excellent result, thus obtaining the 16th personal victory in the World Cup.
In the city of Vancouver, at the debut Olympics, she won three awards and became a two-time Olympic champion. After the end of the Olympiad in less than two weeks at a new stage in the town of Kontiolahti, Neuner took 5th place in the sprint and 2nd place in the race. At the penultimate stage, the biathlete wins the fourth Small Crystal Globe. On the final stage wins again and receives the second Crystal Globe of the season.
At the first stage of the 2011/2012 season, Magdalena won bronze three times. Also in the city of Hochfilzen shows an excellent result in the sprint and races. In the same year, she completed her sports career.
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