Lars Berger
Encyclopedia
Lars Berger (born 1 May 1979 in Levanger
, Norway
) is a Norwegian
biathlete
and cross-country skier
. Fellow biathlete Tora Berger
is his sister. Berger's family moved to Lesja
, Oppland
, in 1985. At the age of six, Berger started cross-country skiing, but during his teens he decided to try out the biathlon.
Berger joined the national biathlon team in 2001. During the 2004 Biathlon World Championships
in Oberhof, Germany
, he won silver medals in the 15 km mass start and the 4 x 7.5 km relay. Berger also won two gold medals in the military world championships that same year (cross-country and patrol). Berger finished fifth in the 2004 overall World Cup, and won several gold medals from the Norwegian Biathlon Championships. At the 2007 Biathlon World Championships
in Rasen-Antholz
, Italy
, Berger was part of the Norwegian team that won silver in the 4 x 7.5 km relay. After several disappointing races, mainly due to unstable shooting, Berger was thrown off the Norwegian national team ahead of the 2008/2009 season. He revenged this by retrieving two world cup victories in sprint events, a silver in the World Championship sprint, and contributed to the gold in the men's relay. He is regarded as the fastest skier on the biathlon tour but his shooting accuracy often prevents him from producing consistent and winning results.
Berger has also been competing in cross-country since 2002. He won the 30 km and relay at the 2003 Norwegian Cross-country Championships in Molde
. Berger won a gold in the 4 x 10 km at the 2005 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
in Oberstdorf
and finished 4th in the 15 km in those same championships. Berger won the gold medal in the 15 km at the Nordic Skiing World Championships
in Sapporo in 2007. In that race Berger benefited from changing weather conditions that gave several of his strongest competitors worse gliding conditions.
Berger is the first person to win medals at the World Championships in biathlon
and Nordic skiing
in the same year. He is also the only athlete to win gold in relays in both World Championships (in Nordic skiing in 2005 and 2007, in biathlon in 2009).
Levanger
Levanger is a town and municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherred region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Levanger...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
) is a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
biathlete
Biathlon
Biathlon is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. However, biathlon usually refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting...
and cross-country skier
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
. Fellow biathlete Tora Berger
Tora Berger
Tora Berger is a World Cup level biathlete and Olympic Champion. She has been a member of the Norwegian women's biathlon team since 1999. She has 5 individual victories in the World Cup. She is the sister of biathlete and cross-country skier Lars Berger...
is his sister. Berger's family moved to Lesja
Lesja
Lesja is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lesja....
, Oppland
Oppland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The county administration is in Lillehammer. Oppland is, together with Hedmark, one of the only two landlocked counties of Norway....
, in 1985. At the age of six, Berger started cross-country skiing, but during his teens he decided to try out the biathlon.
Berger joined the national biathlon team in 2001. During the 2004 Biathlon World Championships
Biathlon World Championships
The first Biathlon World Championships was held in 1958, with individual and team contests for men. The number of events has grown significantly over the years. Beginning in 1984, women biathletes had their own World Championships, and finally, from 1989, both genders have been participating in...
in Oberhof, Germany
Oberhof, Germany
Oberhof is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district of Thuringia, Germany. It is a winter sports center and health resort. It is visited by tenfold as many tourists every year...
, he won silver medals in the 15 km mass start and the 4 x 7.5 km relay. Berger also won two gold medals in the military world championships that same year (cross-country and patrol). Berger finished fifth in the 2004 overall World Cup, and won several gold medals from the Norwegian Biathlon Championships. At the 2007 Biathlon World Championships
Biathlon World Championships 2007
The 41st Biathlon World Championships were held in 2007 for the fourth time in Antholz-Anterselva, Italy from February 2 to February 11.-Opening ceremony:* Date / Time: Fri February 3, 2007 / 20:00 CET...
in Rasen-Antholz
Rasen-Antholz
Rasen-Antholz is a municipality in South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 110 km northeast of the city of Trento and about 60 km northeast of the city of Bolzano, on the border with Austria.-Geography:...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Berger was part of the Norwegian team that won silver in the 4 x 7.5 km relay. After several disappointing races, mainly due to unstable shooting, Berger was thrown off the Norwegian national team ahead of the 2008/2009 season. He revenged this by retrieving two world cup victories in sprint events, a silver in the World Championship sprint, and contributed to the gold in the men's relay. He is regarded as the fastest skier on the biathlon tour but his shooting accuracy often prevents him from producing consistent and winning results.
Berger has also been competing in cross-country since 2002. He won the 30 km and relay at the 2003 Norwegian Cross-country Championships in Molde
Molde
is a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The municipality is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord...
. Berger won a gold in the 4 x 10 km at the 2005 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
2005 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2005 took place February 16-27, 2005 in Oberstdorf, Germany for the second time after hosting it previously in 1987. The ski jumping team normal hill returned after not being held in 2003...
in Oberstdorf
Oberstdorf
Oberstdorf is a municipality and skiing and hiking town in southwest Germany, located in the Allgäu region of the Bavarian Alps.At the center of Oberstdorf is a church whose tall spire serves as a landmark for navigating around town. The summits of the Nebelhorn and Fellhorn provide...
and finished 4th in the 15 km in those same championships. Berger won the gold medal in the 15 km at the Nordic Skiing World Championships
2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2007 took place February 22 - March 4, 2007 in Sapporo, Japan. This was the second time this city has hosted these championships, doing so previously at the 1972 Winter Olympics, having been voted at the 43rd FIS World Congress in Portorož, Slovenia on June 6,...
in Sapporo in 2007. In that race Berger benefited from changing weather conditions that gave several of his strongest competitors worse gliding conditions.
Berger is the first person to win medals at the World Championships in biathlon
Biathlon
Biathlon is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. However, biathlon usually refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting...
and Nordic skiing
Nordic skiing
Nordic skiing is a winter sport that encompasses all types of skiing where the heel of the boot cannot be fixed to the ski, as opposed to Alpine skiing....
in the same year. He is also the only athlete to win gold in relays in both World Championships (in Nordic skiing in 2005 and 2007, in biathlon in 2009).