Magdalena "Lena" Neuner (since 2014 legally Magdalena Holzer, born 9 February 1987) is a retired German professional biathlete. She is the most successful woman at the Biathlon World Championships and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Neuner became the youngest Overall World Cup winner at age 21 and holds 34 World Cup wins, ranking second all-time. She won the Overall World Cup title three times: 2007–08, 2009–10, and 2011–12. Neuner retired in March 2012, citing lack of motivation and a desire for a normal life.
Starting biathlon at age nine, Neuner won five junior world championship titles from 2004 to 2006. She debuted in the World Cup in 2006, winning her first race in January 2007 and three gold medals at the World Championships a month later. She won three titles at the 2008 World Championships and competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics, winning gold in pursuit and mass start and silver in sprint. Neuner claimed the Overall World Cup title in 2009–10 and won three gold medals at the 2011 World Championships. In her final season, she won two more World Championship titles and the Overall World Cup for the third time. Over seven World Cup seasons, she achieved 34 wins, 63 podiums, and contributed to ten relay and three mixed relay victories. Neuner earned 17 World Championship medals: twelve gold, four silver, and one bronze. She was known for fast skiing and variable shooting in the standing position early in her career. She has lived in Wallgau, Bavaria, since birth, joined the German Customs Administration’s Customs-Ski-Team at 16, and was named German Sportswoman of the Year in 2007, 2011, and 2012.
Germany
