It wasn't always easy for a German biathlete. © AFP / ALBERTO PIZZOLI

Threats and attacks: This is how much a biathlon legend suffered

Many people look up to them, envy them and want to be like them: we're talking about sports stars who have thousands of fans all over the world at their feet. However, great fame also brings negative aspects, as a biathlon legend reveals.

July 17, 2023

From: sn

Magdalena Neuner is one of the best biathletes of all time. The 36-year-old from Garmisch-Partenkirchen won Olympic gold twice, World Cup gold twelve times, secured the overall World Cup three times and celebrated 47 World Cup successes. And that despite the fact that she ended her glorious career at the age of 25. “I started this discipline at the age of nine. By the time I was 25, I had already won everything. At that moment I realized that I no longer had any motivation,” the German is quoted by the sport.ru portal.

Neuner triggered a real boom in Germany and became one of the most popular athletes in the entire country. The sudden notoriety also had its downsides. In 2010, a man climbed onto the balcony of her house and tried to break in. The police arrested him and released him, whereupon he began to leave declarations of love. Within two years he was arrested again and committed to a psychiatric hospital.

Difficult moments

But that's not all: the former biathlete even received death threats. Fans thronged her house to get an autograph. “It’s not easy to be a legend,” Neuner once said: “The fans are of course wonderful. Without them, without their support, I wouldn't have gotten anywhere. Taking a photo with them or signing an autograph is no problem. But if they ring the doorbell five or six times a day, then that’s too much,” says Neuner.

Active as a TV expert: Magdalena Neuner © AFP / PATRIK STOLLARZ

Today the German leads a quiet life. She has been married to her childhood friend Josef Holzer since 2014, with whom she has three children. Neuner has been an expert for this since 2015 ARD active and comments on biathlon races. She has also appeared in shows and sports programs. She also devotes a lot of time and money to charitable causes. She also holds a license to train biathletes. But she hasn't used it yet.