Sven Hannawald

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Medal record
Men's ski jumping
Olympic Games
Gold	2002 Salt Lake City	Team large hill
Silver	1998 Nagano	Team large hill
Silver	2002 Salt Lake City	Individual normal hill
World Championships
Gold	1999 Ramsau	Team large hill
Gold	2001 Lahti	Team large hill
Silver	1999 Ramsau	Individual large hill
Bronze	2001 Lahti	Team normal hill
Ski flying World Championships
Gold	2000 Vikersund	Individual
Gold	2002 Harrachov	Individual

Sven Hannawald (born November 9, 1974 in Erlabrunn, Saxony) is a former German ski jumper. Hannawald won the International Four Hills Tournament once. He also won four medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, as well as three medals each in the Olympic Winter Games and the FIS Ski-Flying World Championships.

[edit] Life

Hannawald was born in Erlabrunn and grew up in the nearby town of Johanngeorgenstadt in the Ore Mountains. At age twelve, he was sent to a special school for young sportspeople in Klingenthal, also in Saxony. In 1991 his family moved to Jettingen-Scheppach near Ulm where he transferred to the Furtwangen Ski Boarding School, where he completed an apprenticeship in Communication Electronics. Today he lives with his girlfriend Nadine and their son Matteo (*2.12.2006) in Hinterzarten.

Sven Hannawald, 2003 in Hinterzarten

[edit] Successes

In 1998, Hannawald won a silver medal at the ski jumping world championships in Oberstdorf as well as a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Nagano in the team large hill event.

In the 1998/1999 season, he finished fifth place overall in World Cup Ski Jumping. At the world championships in Ramsau, he won a silver medal in the individual large hill behind Martin Schmitt, as well as winning a gold medal in the team large hill event.

In 2000, he participated for the first time in the Vikersund Ski-flying World Championships. He also won the ski jumping competition at the Holmenkollen ski festival that year.

In the 2000/2001 season, Hannawald won gold in the team large hill event and bronze in the team normal hill event at the world championships in Lahti.

The following winter of 2001/02 was the most successful of his career: Sven Hannawald emerged victorious as the World's best ski jumper, winning all four Individual jumping titles at the Four Hills Tournament, the first to do so. He successfully defended his title of Ski Jumping World Champion. At the Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, he won gold in the team large hill and silver in the individual normal hill. Hannawald finished second in the world rankings. For these achievements, he was nominated for Sportsman of the Year in Germany.

In the 2002/2003 and 2003/2004 season, he performed well below personal expectations. His best result was third in Engelberg. As a consequence of that, Hannawald ended his season prematurely. On April 29, 2004, Hannawald revealed that he was suffering from burnout, and had put himself into psychiatric treatment. During this time, Sven Hannawald managed to recover and reappeared to the public.

On August 3, 2005, he ended his career as a ski jumper, explaining through his managers that, after successfully dealing with his burnout, he no longer wished to suffer the stresses of professional sport.