Björn Ferry
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Mens's biathlon | ||
Competitor for Sweden | ||
Olympic Games | ||
Gold | 2010 Vancouver | Pursuit 12.5 km |
World Championships | ||
Gold | 2007 Antholz | Mixed relay |
Silver | 2012 Rupholding | Mass start |
Bronze | 2010 Khanty-Mansiysk | Mixed relay |
Björn Ferry (born August 1, 1978,[1] in Stensele, Västerbotten County) is a Swedish biathlete and medal winning Olympian. He began competing internationally in World Cup competitions in 2001, but did not win his first international race until the 2007/2008 season. In 2007, he won gold in the mixed relay event at the Biathlon World Championships. The next year, at his third Winter Olympics appearance, he won the gold medal in the pursuit event. He started the event in 8th place as determined by the previous sprint event, but managed to overtake the race leader on the final lap.
Athletic career
Ferry debuted in the World Cup in Hochfilzen in 2001, and earned his first World Cup points after only skiing three races. He finished his first season ranked 36th in World Cup standings. In World Cup competition, he slowly improved his ranking, and by the 2006/2007 season was ranked in the top ten worldwide. His first Olympic appearance, at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, was disappointing, but four years later at the 2006 Games in Turin, Italy he was a member of a Swedish relay team that placed fourth, just off the medal stand.[2]
Ferry has seen some of his strongest efforts and best finishes in Italy, even beyond the 2006 success. Both of his two World Cup victories came in the pursuit in Antholz-Anterselva, in the 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 seasons. In 2007, he won a gold medal in the mixed relay in the 2007 World Championships alongside Helena Jonsson, Anna Carin Olofsson, and Carl Johan Bergman. Although his 2009/2010 season was lackluster, and Ferry saw his ranking drop from 9th to 16th place in the World Cup, Ferry was again selected for the Swedish team for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada. In the pursuit event held on February 16, Ferry finished in first place, winning the gold medal after catching and passing the race leader on the final lap of the race.[2] He beat second place finisher Christoph Sumann of Austria by only 16.5 seconds. The victory marked the first Olympic biathlon gold for a Swedish athlete in a half-century.[3]
Ferry practices with the Storuman IK club. His personal coach is German Wolfgang Pichler.[2]
Opposition to doping
Ferry has been outspoken in his opposition to the use of banned substances by athletes who participate in international competition, a practice known as doping. In 2009, he was quoted referring to Russian athletes who had used such substances as 'idiots' and received a number of death threats.[citation needed] During the 2010 winter Olympics, he was quoted saying he would not mind if athletes who use banned substances would get the death penalty or, "at least lots of kicks in the balls."[4][5] Further comments referred to dopers as people with low moral standards and suggested that the problem of use of banned substances in sport would not go away until more severe penalties were imposed.
Personal life
Ferry is married to armwrestler Heidi Andersson, who has won multiple world championships in armwrestling.[3][6]
References
- ↑ "Bjorn Ferry, Biathlon". Athletes. Vancouver 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Björn FERRY". Biathlon Results. International Biathlon Union. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Agence France-Presse (2010-02-16). 's-ferry-wins-men's-12.5km-pursuit_280444BH.html "Biathlon (Sprint): Sweden's Ferry wins men's 12.5km pursuit". Vancouver 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
- ↑ "Swedish Biathlon Star Bjorn Ferry on Doping: "Drug cheats should get the death penalty!"". Bild.com. 2010-02-15. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
- ↑ [Original Swedish: "För mig får det gärna bli dödsstraff eller alla fall en upprepad pungspark för alla dopningsbrott", translated: "For me it's ok if it would be death penalty or at least a repeated kick on the balls for all doping crimes"]
- ↑ Ferry, Björn. "Björnfakta" (in Swedish). Retrieved 2010-02-17.
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