“Was the epitome of all the best in our sport”: the biathlon world mourns the death of Olympic champion Hanevold

At the 50th year of life, the three-time Olympic biathlon champion Halvard Hanevold suddenly died. Fans, journalists, experts, current athletes and stars of the past were shocked by what happened.

“We are incredibly saddened by the early death of Halvar Hanevold, the biathlon legend and the Olympic Games. He was the epitome of all the best in our sport. An Olympic champion with three gold, two silver and one bronze medals, he was distinguished by modesty, thoughtfulness, an inquisitive mind, but above all friendliness. He always found something to smile at and something to laugh at. We will miss not only his outstanding talent, but also his friendship, generosity, wit and a constant smile that we will never forget, ”Olle Dalin, president of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) quotes the organization’s official website.

Hanevold was found dead at home in the Norwegian city of Asker on September 3. At the moment, the causes of death have not been established, but his family assured that they will report all the information as soon as the situation becomes clear. The Norwegian has a wife, a former Canadian biathlete Sandra Keith, and two children.

For many, the death of a five-time triumph of the championships of the planet was a real shock, given the fact that he looked completely healthy and played sports until the last days of his life. 2010 Olympic champion Bjorn Ferry said that several months ago Hanevold was skiing, and former Norwegian biathlete Egil Yelland noted that he was in good shape for his age.

Another legend, Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, was not left behind from the tragedy. He noted the importance of the Norwegian figure not only for his country, but also for world sports in general.

“Halvard was a terrific athlete - not only incredibly talented, but also the smartest in the team in terms of approach to training. He knew what others did not. In our team, it was he who was the leader, the one whom I admired. We have developed strong friendships, and this was very important, ”the VG portal quotes the eight-time Olympic champion.

Representatives of other national teams and national federations expressed their condolences. Many athletes admitted that the first steps in biathlon are associated with the name of Hanevold.

“He was the first biathlon star I recognized when I got to my very first World Cup. He always smiled, never stopped looking for something new for himself. An incredible athlete and the smartest person. I grieve with Sandra and their entire family, ”wrote Martin Fourcade, seven-time owner of the Big Crystal Globe.

The representative of Slovakia Anastasia Kuzmina said that she came to biathlon largely thanks to the Norwegian.

“In 1998, in Nagano, I first saw his golden success on television. He won the individual 20 km race, and I fell in love with biathlon at first sight and in 1999 I started to do it. Hanevold finished his career in 2010 at the age of 40, when my golden career was just beginning. I knew him personally. It was a good, sociable, smiling man and a legendary athlete, ”said the three-time Olympic champion.

In Russia, Hanevold is also remembered with an exceptionally kind word. The Russian Biathlon Union (RBU) emphasized that he always supported local sports and took part in the organization’s projects with pleasure.

“The Russian biathlon family has lost its good friend. Several generations of domestic athletes (including half of the RBU Board members) went to the start with a distinguished and colorful Norwegian, whose sports career in the big biathlon lasted for nearly 20 years, and he went to veteran starts until his death, ”the press statement said. -RSS services.

2017 world champion Alexei Volkov said he was proud to meet the legendary Norwegian, and also published poetry of the poetess Lyudmila Koroleva in his honor.

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Posted by Alexey Volkov (@ vol4ikov) Sep 3, 2019 at 12:42 pm PDT

In turn, the Sochi 2014 Olympic champion Anton Shipulin admitted that he was deeply shocked by this tragic news.

“When I was young, he was one of my landmarks. In 2010, it was a great honor for me, then a kid, to fight with him on the same track at the Olympics in Vancouver. Great athlete, beautiful and bright person. A huge loss for the world biathlon. Rest in peace, ”wrote the ex-biathlete.

The emotional message in connection with the death of Hanevold was left by the famous Russian commentator Dmitry Guberniev.

“Halvard Hanevold died. Suddenly. Three-time gold Olympic biathlete. Sports commentator on Norwegian TV. Just a shock. How so, Halvard? At 49 years old? I can’t believe it ... Bright memory! ”, The journalist wrote on his Instagram page.

Hanevold was the idol of several biathlon worships. His debut in professional sports took place in the 1991-1992 season, although he only started joining the national team on an ongoing basis five years later. Already in 1998 in Nagano, he won his first Olympic gold. He managed to repeat this success in Salt Lake City, and then in Vancouver. The Norwegian won most of his medals in relay races, which made him an indispensable member of the national team until his retirement in 2010.

On the track of the legendary biathlete it was difficult to confuse with rivals. He was distinguished by a special style of skating, thanks to which he easily outpaced his rivals both on the flat sections of the course and on the heights. Because of him, Hanevold received the nickname "crab".

After completing his career, Hanevold acted as a commentator and expert on Norwegian television. His last place of work was the ski and biathlon festival in French Annecy, organized by Martin Fourcade in early September.