Some records seem almost superhuman. Ole Einar Bjørndalen stands in a league of his own when it comes to Olympic medals. But who are the next nine, and how big is the gap? Here is the Top 10 list.

See the complete overview and the Top 10 most decorated men in Olympic biathlon further down in the article.

Ole Einar Bjørndalen is the most successful male biathlete in Olympic history, by a clear margin. He won an incredible 14 Olympic medals, including eight golds. That is five more medals than Johannes Thingnes Bø and Emil Hegle Svendsen, who share second place.

Thingnes Bø and Hegle Svendsen are tied on total medals, but Thingnes Bø has five gold medals, while Hegle Svendsen has four.

Also Read – The stars of Olympic biathlon: Top 10 most decorated women of all time

Awarded new medals last year

Bjørndalen, Johannes Thingnes Bø, Emil Hegle Svendsen, and Tarjei Bø all received an additional Olympic medal last year. This followed the final rejection of Russian biathlete Evgeny Ustyugov’s appeal in the case concerning the manipulation of his biological passport.

The ruling, delivered in early summer 2025, led to a significant reallocation of Olympic medals from 2014. Norway was promoted from fourth place to bronze in the relay, and in the same case, France’s Martin Fourcade also received an additional Olympic medal.

Top 10 most Olympic medals in biathlon, men

1. Ole Einar Bjørndalen, Norway: 14 medals (8 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze)
2. Johannes Thingnes Bø, Norway: 9 medals (5 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze)
3. Emil Hegle Svendsen, Norway: 9 medals (4 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze)
4. Ricco Groß, Germany: 8 medals (4 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze)
5. Sven Fischer, Germany: 8 medals (4 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze)
6. Martin Fourcade, France: 7 medals (6 gold, 1 silver)
7. Tarjei Bø, Norway: 7 medals (3 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze)
8. Alexander Tikhonov, Soviet Union: 5 medals (4 gold, 1 silver)
9. Mark Kirchner, Germany: 4 medals (3 gold, 1 silver)
10. Eirik Kvalfoss, Norway: 3 medals, one of Norway’s early Olympic medalists in biathlon

(Sources: IBU, Realbiathlon, Wikipedia)

Note: Additional candidates

Among the groups with three to five Olympic medals, several German and East German biathletes from the 1980s and 1990s are listed in various sources.

Olympics 2026

The Winter Olympics in Italy will take place from February 6 to 22. The biathlon competitions run from February 8 to 21. All events will be held in Antholz-Anterselva, located 1,650 meters above sea level.

A total of 11 biathlon events will be contested at the 2026 Olympics: five for men (20km individual, 10km sprint, 12.5km pursuit, 15km mass start, and 4×7.5km relay), five for women (15km individual, 7.5km sprint, 10km pursuit, 12.5km mass start, and 4×6km relay), plus one mixed relay.

Read More: Program for biathlon at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

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