Athlete Bios
Biathlon
Germany's Neuner is sport's fastest, youngest
Last Updated: Friday, February 5, 2010 | 1:35 PM ET
New York Times for CBC Sports
Germany's Magdalena Neuner became the youngest female triple world champion in biathlon history in 2007. (Filippo Monteforte/Getty Images)As one of the fastest — and youngest — female skiers in her sport, Magdalena Neuner of Germany has already made a name for herself as one of biathlon’s most sensational athletes.
Born in 1987 in the Bavarian town of Wallgau, Neuner started competing as a biathlete at nine years old. By the time she was in her teens, she had won five golds at junior world championships and seemed poised for greater fame.
In 2007, she competed in her first world championships and took home three gold medals making her, at 19 years old, the youngest female triple world champion in the sport’s history. The next season, she repeated the feat, taking home another three gold medals at the world championships and winning first place in the overall World Cup.
Neuner did not perform as well during the 2008-09 season, coming in fourth in the overall World Cup and failing to win a medal in any individual events at the world championships, although she did take home a silver for the team relay.
Although Neuner shines on the cross-country course, she has sometimes faltered under pressure at the shooting range. During the 2008-09 season, she made just 65 per cent of her targets from a standing position.
When she is not competing, Neuner is an accomplished knitter and maintains a website, magdalena-strickt.de/, dedicated to her hobby. She has also recently taken up playing the harp. She still lives her hometown, Wallgau; with her younger sister, Anna, and brother, Christoph, are also aspiring biathletes.
