Emil Hegle Svendsen

Emil Hegle Svendsen
Emil Hegle Svendsen in 2009
Personal information
NicknameSuper-Svendsen
Born (1985-07-12) 12 July 1985 (age 39)
Trondheim, Norway
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Professional information
SportBiathlon
ClubTrondhjems Skiskyttere
World Cup debut15 December 2005
Olympic Games
Teams4 (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)
Medals8 (4 gold)
World Championships
Teams9 (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016)
Medals21 (12 gold)
World Cup
Seasons11 (2005/06–2017/18)
Individual victories37
All victories58
Individual podiums79
All podiums115
Overall titles1 (2009–10)
Discipline titles4:
2 Individual (2010–11, 2013–14);
1 Sprint (2009–10);
1 Mass start (2010–11)
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 4 3 1
World Championships 12 6 3
Junior/Youth World Championships 2 1 2
Total 18 8 6
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2010 Vancouver 20 km individual
Gold medal – first place 2010 Vancouver 4 × 7.5 km relay
Gold medal – first place 2014 Sochi 15 km mass start
Gold medal – first place 2014 Sochi Mixed relay
Silver medal – second place 2010 Vancouver 10 km sprint
Silver medal – second place 2018 Pyeongchang 4 × 7.5 km relay
Silver medal – second place 2018 Pyeongchang Mixed relay
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Pyeongchang 15 km mass start
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2008 Östersund 20 km individual
Gold medal – first place 2008 Östersund 15 km mass start
Gold medal – first place 2009 Pyeongchang 4 × 7.5 km relay
Gold medal – first place 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk 15 km mass start
Gold medal – first place 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk 4 × 7.5 km relay
Gold medal – first place 2012 Ruhpolding 4 × 7.5 km relay
Gold medal – first place 2012 Ruhpolding Mixed relay
Gold medal – first place 2013 Nové Mesto 10 km sprint
Gold medal – first place 2013 Nové Mesto 12.5 km pursuit
Gold medal – first place 2013 Nové Mesto 4 × 7.5 km relay
Gold medal – first place 2013 Nové Mesto Mixed relay
Gold medal – first place 2016 Oslo 4 × 7.5 km relay
Silver medal – second place 2008 Östersund 4 × 7.5 km relay
Silver medal – second place 2010 Khanty-Mansiysk Mixed relay
Silver medal – second place 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk 12.5 km pursuit
Silver medal – second place 2012 Ruhpolding 10 km sprint
Silver medal – second place 2015 Kontiolathi 20 km individual
Silver medal – second place 2015 Kontiolahti 4 × 7.5 km relay
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Antholz-Anterselva Mixed relay
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Nové Mesto 15 km mass start
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Oslo 12.5 km pursuit
Junior World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2005 Kontiolahti 15 km individual
Gold medal – first place 2005 Kontiolahti 10 km sprint
Silver medal – second place 2005 Kontiolahti 12.5 km pursuit
Youth World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2004 Haute Maurienne 10 km pursuit
Gold medal – first place 2004 Haute Maurienne 3 × 7.5 km relay
Bronze medal – third place 2003 Kościelisko 12.5 km individual
Bronze medal – third place 2003 Kościelisko 10 km pursuit
Men's cross-country skiing
Junior World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2005 Rovaniemi 4 × 10 km relay
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Rovaniemi 10 km freestyle
Updated on 23 February 2018

Emil Hegle Svendsen (born 12 July 1985) is a retired Norwegian biathlete. He has won eight medals at Winter Olympics (four gold) and five individual gold medals and seven relay gold medals at World Championships.

He skis with Trondhjems Skiskyttere, based in his hometown Trondheim.

Career

The 2005–06 season was Svendsen's first season on the World Cup tour. Previously, he had competed as a junior in the European Cup, now known as the IBU cup. During his first season in the World Cup, Svendsen finished fifth in three races, two of them in sprints (Brezno-Osrblie and Ruhpolding), and the other in a mass start (Holmenkollen). He also finished races in seventh, ninth, and four more within the top twenty (14th, 15th, 17th, 19th). He finished the overall season in 22nd place. He was 32nd in the pursuit, 21st in the sprint, and 7th in the mass start, only seven points behind Sven Fischer in fourth place.

Svendsen was selected for the Olympics, to compete in the mass start, in which he came sixth, after hitting 18/20 targets and finished 53.8 seconds behind winner Michael Greis of Germany. As a junior, Svendsen won four gold medals in junior World Championships, his first and second gold was in the pursuit, and the relay in Haute Maurienne in 2004, and the third and fourth gold in the individual and the sprint in Kontiolahti in 2005. He also has two bronze medals from the individual and the pursuit in Kościelisko in 2003. During his three seasons in the European Cup, Svendsen won two races (individual and pursuit), one second place (sprint), and came third three times (all in the sprint).

For his first season in the World Cup Svendsen had an 82% shooting average, making him the 42nd best shot of the tour, but the same shooting percentage as Halvard Hanevold and Vincent Defrasne. He hit 243 out of 295 targets. He shot both 82% in his prone and standing shoot, he averaged 70% in the individual, 84% in the sprint, 81% in the pursuit, 87% in the mass start, and 76% in the relay.

On 13 December 2007, Svendsen took his first world cup victory, at the 20 km in Pokljuka. However, his big breakthrough came when he won two individual gold medals at the 2008 World Championships, winning both the individual and the mass start ahead of Ole Einar Bjørndalen. He went on winning more victories and podiums for the rest of the season, and eventually finished third overall.

The 2008/2009 season started off well for Svendsen. By placing on the podium in every one of the first five races, he took the lead in the overall world cup. After the Christmas holiday however, Svendsen struggled to maintain the early season's results, and when he fell ill during the world championships and did not compete in several races, he lost the overall lead. After a couple of middle placings, he returned with a third place at the mass start event in Trondheim, and a fourth place and a victory in Khanty Mansiysk the consecutive week.

Emil Hegle Svendsen Kontiolahti, 2010

He won a silver medal in the 10 km sprint at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver on the first day of men's biathlon competition and then followed it up with two gold medals in the 20 km individual and the relay event.

He won 2 gold medals in 2014 Winter Olympics: in mass-start and mixed relay (together with Ole Einar Bjørndalen, Tiril Eckhoff and Tora Berger).

Svendsen is 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) tall, and weighs 170 lb (77 kg, 12 st 2 lb)

On 9 April 2018, he announced his retirement from biathlon following the 2017–2018 season.[1][2]

Personal life

Svendsen was in a relationship with a fellow biathlete Kaja Eckhoff,[3] sister of the biathletes Stian and Tiril Eckhoff, for several years after meeting her in the early 2000s at the Norges Toppidrettsgymnas in Lillehammer where they both studied as teenagers, before breaking up in the summer of 2011.[4]

He then was in a relationship with Samantha Skogrand from November 2013 to autumn 2022. They got engaged in December 2016,[5] but never married. In January 2019 the couple became parents to a son whom they named Magnus[6] and in July 2021 they welcomed their second child - daughter Elsa.[7] The family resided in Oslo. They announced their separation in a joint statement on Instagram on 28 April 2023.[8]

After retiring from competition in 2018 Svendsen decided to study for a bachelor's degree in business administration. While studying he worked as a biathlon expert for the Norwegian TV channel NRK[9] in 2019-2021 and a coach with the privately-funded Norwegian biathlon youth team Meistebakken. As of 2023 he has finished his studies and is working for the Norwegian real estate company Fredensborg Fritid as a real estate developer.[10]

Biathlon results

All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union.[11]

Olympic Games

8 medals (4 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze)

Event Individual Sprint Pursuit Mass start Relay Mixed relay
Italy 2006 Turin — — — 6th — —
Canada 2010 Vancouver Gold Silver 8th 13th Gold —
Russia 2014 Sochi 7th 9th 7th Gold 4th Gold
South Korea 2018 Pyeongchang 10th 18th 20th Bronze Silver Silver
*The mixed relay was added as an event in 2014.

World Championships

21 medals (12 gold, 6 silver, 3 bronze)

Event Individual Sprint Pursuit Mass start Relay Mixed relay
Italy 2007 Antholz-Anterselva — 7th 5th — — Bronze
Sweden 2008 Östersund Gold 12th 12th Gold Silver —
South Korea 2009 Pyeongchang DNS — — 12th Gold —
Russia 2010 Khanty-Mansiysk — — — — — Silver
Russia 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk 4th 5th Silver Gold Gold —
Germany 2012 Ruhpolding 8th Silver 5th 18th Gold Gold
Czech Republic 2013 Nové Město — Gold Gold Bronze Gold Gold
Finland 2015 Kontiolahti Silver 36th 19th 15th Silver —
Norway 2016 Oslo Holmenkollen 32nd 17th Bronze 28th Gold —
Austria 2017 Hochfilzen 27th 36th DNS 28th 8th 8th
*During Olympic seasons competitions are only held for those events not included in the Olympic program.

Junior/Youth World Championships

Event Individual Sprint Pursuit Relay
Italy 2002 Ridnaun-Val Ridanna 18th 13th 13th 11th
Poland 2003 Kościelisko Bronze 7th Bronze 4th
France 2004 Haute Maurienne 14th 6th Gold Gold
Finland 2005 Kontiolahti Gold Gold Silver 10th

World Cup

Season Overall Individual Sprint Pursuit Mass start
Races Points Position Races Points Position Races Points Position Races Points Position Races Points Position
2005–06 17/26 289 22nd 0/3 0 — 7/10 120 21st 5/8 52 32nd 5/5 117 7th
2006–07 19/27 381 17th 0/4 0 — 8/10 158 14th 6/8 154 12th 3/5 69 18th
2007–08 20/26 687 3rd 2/3 100 2nd 8/10 253 3rd 6/8 210 6th 4/5 124 5th
2008–09 19/26 844 3rd 2/4 72 14th 7/10 318 3rd 6/7 308 2nd 4/5 146 7th
2009–10 19/25 828 1st 2/4 120 2nd 8/10 354 1st 4/6 173 8th 5/5 163 2nd
2010–11 24/26 1105 2nd 4/4 188 1st 9/10 369 2nd 6/7 304 3rd 5/5 244 1st
2011–12 26/26 1035 2nd 3/3 108 3rd 10/10 378 2nd 8/8 349 2nd 5/5 218 2nd
2012–13 20/26 827 2nd 1/3 43 25th 8/10 315 2nd 7/8 287 2nd 4/5 182 2nd
2013–14 18/22 642 2nd 2/2 84 1st 7/9 240 6th 6/8 217 7th 3/3 101 4th
2014–15 21/25 613 9th 2/3 114 3rd 8/10 191 17th 6/7 199 6th 5/5 109 15th
2015–16 19/25 595 10th 3/3 64 15th 6/9 183 14th 6/8 229 7th 4/5 119 15th
2016–17 19/26 667 7th 1/3 14 49th 8/9 276 3rd 6/9 249 5th 4/5 128 12th
2017–18 10/22 323 24th 2/2 41 15th 3/8 106 24th 3/7 126 20th 2/5 50 29th

Individual victories

38 victories (8 In, 11 Sp, 12 Pu, 7 MS)

Season Date Location Discipline Level
2007–08
6 victories
(2 In, 2 Sp, 1 Pu, 1 MS)		 13 December 2007 Slovenia Pokljuka 20 km individual Biathlon World Cup
14 February 2008 Sweden Östersund 20 km individual Biathlon World Championships
17 February 2008 Sweden Östersund 15 km mass start Biathlon World Championships
27 February 2008 South Korea Pyeongchang 10 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
8 March 2008 Russia Khanty-Mansiysk 12.5 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
13 March 2008 Norway Oslo Holmenkollen 10 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
2008–09
5 victories
(3 Sp, 2 Pu)		 6 December 2008 Sweden Östersund 10 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
12 December 2008 Austria Hochfilzen 10 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
13 December 2008 Austria Hochfilzen 12.5 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
23 January 2009 Italy Antholz-Anterselva 10 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
28 March 2009 Russia Khanty-Mansiysk 12.5 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
2009–10
5 victories
(2 In, 1 Sp, 1 Pu, 1 MS)		 3 December 2009 Sweden Östersund 20 km individual Biathlon World Cup
12 December 2009 Austria Hochfilzen 12.5 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
14 January 2010 Germany Ruhpolding 10 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
16 January 2010 Germany Ruhpolding 15 km mass start Biathlon World Cup
18 February 2010 Canada Vancouver 20 km individual Winter Olympic Games
2010–11
8 victories
(2 In, 2 Sp, 2 Pu, 2 MS)		 2 December 2010 Sweden Östersund 20 km individual Biathlon World Cup
4 December 2010 Sweden Östersund 10 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
12 January 2011 Germany Ruhpolding 20 km individual Biathlon World Cup
10 February 2011 United States Fort Kent 10 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
12 February 2011 United States Fort Kent 12.5 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
12 March 2011 Russia Khanty-Mansiysk 15 km mass start Biathlon World Championships
19 March 2011 Norway Oslo Holmenkollen 12.5 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
20 March 2011 Norway Oslo Holmenkollen 15 km mass start Biathlon World Cup
2011–12
4 victories
(1 Sp, 1 Pu, 2 MS)		 10 December 2011 Austria Hochfilzen 12.5 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
14 January 2012 Czech Republic Nové Město 10 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
5 February 2012 Norway Oslo Holmenkollen 15 km mass start Biathlon World Cup
18 March 2012 Russia Khanty-Mansiysk 15 km mass start Biathlon World Cup
2012–13
3 victories
(1 Sp, 2 Pu)		 15 December 2012 Slovenia Pokljuka 12.5 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
9 February 2013 Czech Republic Nové Město 10 km sprint Biathlon World Championships
10 February 2013 Czech Republic Nové Město 12.5 km pursuit Biathlon World Championships
2013–14
5 victories
(1 In, 1 Sp, 2 Pu, 1 MS)		 3 January 2014 Germany Oberhof 10 km sprint Biathlon World Cup
4 January 2014 Germany Oberhof 12.5 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
11 January 2014 Germany Ruhpolding 20 km individual Biathlon World Cup
12 January 2014 Germany Ruhpolding 12.5 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
18 February 2014 Russia Sochi 15 km mass start Winter Olympic Games
2014–15
2 victories
(1 In, 1 Pu)		 3 December 2014 Sweden Östersund 20 km individual Biathlon World Cup
20 December 2014 Slovenia Pokljuka 12.5 km pursuit Biathlon World Cup
*Results are from UIPMB and IBU races which include the Biathlon World Cup, Biathlon World Championships and the Winter Olympic Games.

See also

References

  1. ^ "4-time Olympic biathlon gold medalist Svendsen retires". USA Today. 9 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  2. ^ Nick Zaccardi (9 April 2018). "Emil Hegle Svendsen joins list of Norway Olympic star retirements". NBC Sports. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  3. ^ "Gull-Emil reiser til syden med kjæresten". www.vg.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 2008-03-11. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  4. ^ "Slutt mellom Kaja Eckhoff og Emil Hegle Svendsen". Budstikka (in Norwegian). 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  5. ^ "Emil Hegle Svendsen og Samantha Skogrand er forlovet". www.vg.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 2016-12-25. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  6. ^ Eilertsen, Kaja Hoff Henriette (January 29, 2019). "Nå er de blitt foreldre". Dagbladet.no. Retrieved 31 August 2019
  7. ^ Persson, Lilly Christin S. (2021-07-17). "TV-profilene Samantha Skogrand og Emil Hegle Svendsen har fått barn". Nettavisen (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  8. ^ "Brudd". dagbladet.no (in Norwegian). 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  9. ^ NTB (2019-11-07). "Emil Hegle Svendsen har fått ny jobb". folkebladet.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  10. ^ "Fredensborg Fritid - Våre ansatte". fredensborgfritid.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  11. ^ "Emil Hegle Svendsen". IBU Datacenter. International Biathlon Union. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
Olympic Games
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2018 Pyeongchang 		Succeeded by
Incumbent