Sven Fischer
Sven Fischer is a German former biathlete. He trained with the WSV Oberhof 05 club, and was coached by Frank Ullrich and Fritz Fischer and Klaus Siebert. After the 2006/07 biathlon season, he retired. Fischer also won the overall World Cup twice, in 1997 and 1999, as well as eight season World Cups in various disciplines.
Background
Fischer, who stands at and weighs, was born in Schmalkalden, Thuringia. His apparent talents for athletics was discovered early and already in third grade he was training three times a week in the BSG Werkzeugkombinat sports club. In the fifth grade, he became district champion of his age class.In September 1983, the boarding school Kinder- und Jugendsportschule accepted him on a biathlon youth scholarship. After his exam in 1989, he joined the army studying to become a sports teacher. The German reunification and the fall of the Berlin Wall and subsequent unification of the East and West German armies, forced him to leave the military in 1990.
He instead started training for international sport events, but in 1989, when Fischer was eighteen, he had problems with both his kneecaps after a growth spurt as a youth: "I grew too fast and didn't stretch well." As a result he sat out the whole of the 1989 season and thought he might have to retire from the sport at his young age. However, in the 1990 season when he came back he found that he had become more powerful than before his injury, and in December 1990, he celebrated his first European cup victory in sprint in Hochfilzen. One week later he participated in his first world cup relay. He was soon rewarded B–status and because of success in the German Championship in 1992 he qualified for the world cup in Pokljuka in December 1992.
In 1993, he won a World Championship gold medal in the 10 km Team in Borovets, Bulgaria, and a world cup race, in sprint, in Kontiolahti, Finland. In 1994, he won the Olympic bronze medal in the 20 km individual.
Fischer was an integral part of the German biathlon team until his retirement.
Fischer has eight biathlon victories at the Holmenkollen ski festival, three in individual, two in sprint, two in pursuit, and one in mass start.
Career
Fischer won the World Cup overall on two occasions, he's also come second twice, and third three times. In the 2004/05 season Fischer lost the World Cup by only eleven points, which he most probably would have earned had he competed in the final race of the year, but he missed it because of a cold.In the Olympics, Fischer won four gold medals, one of them in the sprint in 2006 Winter Olympics, and the other three in the relay. He also won two silver, and two bronze.
In the World Championships, Fischer amassed seven gold medals, six silver, and seven bronze. Four of his gold medals were won in relays, one in the team event, one in the individual, and one in the mass start. In the sprint he has one of his silver medals. He has three bronze from the pursuit. In the mass start he has one gold, two silver, and one bronze. His remaining silver and two bronze came in the relay.
Biathlon results
All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union.Olympic Games
8 medals| Event | Individual | Sprint | Pursuit | Relay | |||||||||||||
 n/an/aWorld Championships20 medals
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