Ole Einar Bjorndalen became the first biathlete – and only the third athlete - to clinch four gold medals in a single Olympiad at the SLC Winter Olympics last Febuary, triumphing in the 10km sprint, 12.5km pursuit, 20km individual and 4 x 7.5km team relay. He was voted second behind Michael Schumacher in the 2002 European Sports Writers’ Union European Sportsman of the Year poll.