Christian Hoffmann
Christian Hoffmann ( born December 22, 1974 in Aigen in Mühlkreisautobahn, Upper Austria ) is an Austrian cross-country skiers.
Career
Hoffmann visited in his youth the Nordic training center iron ore in Styria, where he completed an apprenticeship as a car mechanic from. He starts for the ski Union Bohemian Forest and won his first race in 1988, inclusion in the Austrian Ski Team followed in 1992.
After several respectable results reached his sports career in third place in the World Cup sprint in Milan in 1997 a first, small peak. In 1998 he won in Nové Město na Moravě with the Austrian 4 x 10 km relay his first World Cup race, finished several top 3 ranks and reached the fourth place in the World Cup Ranking in the sprint. At the Olympic Games in Nagano in 1998 he won a surprise bronze in the 50 km run, and thus won only the second Olympic medal for Austria in the long run at all. In this race, he succeeded to the aground half a minute earlier launched Bjørn Dæhlie in and making the tempo almost 40 km long.
On the way home World Cup in 1999 in Ramsau am Dachstein, he won the gold medal with the started as underdogs Austrian 4 x 10 km relay as the final runner in the final sprint against the Norwegians Thomas Alsgaard.
To this end, he finished at the World Championships in seventh place in the 30 km run ( freestyle) and achieved two third places in World Cup races. In the 1999/2000 season he won a World Cup race of the season and reached a number of top 3 placings in individual and relay events. The World Cup 2001 was not quite as successful, but he could affirm with two ranks fifth in the 50- km run ( freestyle) and in the season 's membership in the world's best.
His biggest success Christian Hoffmann at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. About 30 km ( freestyle) he won the gold medal ahead of his teammate Mikhail Botwinow and thus became the first Austrian Olympic champion in cross-country skiing. However, on this gold medal he had to wait a long time. The original winner, starting for Spain German Johann Mühlegg was found guilty of doping with darbepoetin and excluded from the games. The International Court of Sport (CAS ) ruled that Johann Mühlegg had to return all of his acquired in Salt Lake City Olympic medals because of his offense. The International Olympic Committee put this decision in order on 15 March 2004, which became the second-placed Austria with two years late to the Olympic champion.
2003 Christian Hoffmann won his first World Cup victory in a singles competition over 10 km freestyle in Ramsau am Dachstein and finished second over 15km freestyle at the World Cup in Nove Mesto na Moravě. In the 2003 World Cup in Val di Fiemme, he did not get beyond a tenth place in the 50 km event. His last World Cup victory he won in Pragelato 2004. During the same year, he also reached a third place about 15 km freestyle at the World Cup at La Clusaz. In 2005, he came after several top rankings in the World Cup as one of the favorites for the Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf. There, however, he fell ill with a flu virus and was able to participate in the first week of any race. In his only use just before the end of the World Cup, he helped the Austrian 4 x 10 km relay with the second best run time of all participants or to a fifth. That he would win a medal also at this World Cup can, he showed just one week later at the World Cup race in Lahti in which he only narrowly beaten ranked second over 15km freestyle. In the Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec, he ran the 50 km long in a 20 - man lead group, but fell back in the closing kilometers and finished in 25th place
After Hoffman was suspended on 31 December 2009 by NADA, he announced on the same day end of his career. Already in March 2009, Hoffmann was fined for excessive blood levels with a two-week protective barrier by the FIS, now to participate in the ownership and operation of a blood centrifuge he was accused of.
In June 2010, the Vienna public prosecutor's office announced that the criminal proceedings against Hoffmann is set. While standing for the prosecution no doubt that Hoffmann had together with cyclists Bernhard Kohl and Michael Rasmussen participates by Kohl's manager Stefan Matschiner in buying a blood centrifuge, however, were the three athletes after entry into force of the Austrian anti-doping law in August 2008, " no contribution actions " prove to blood doping.
Christian Hoffmann has been disabled on 5 December 2011 for six years by the Legal Committee of the National Anti -Doping Agency (NADA ). At the hearing, the infringements he had been placed against the anti -doping rules to the load, namely systematic blood doping von 2003 to 2006. This lock, however, was reduced on July 17, 2012, two years after a 5 - member panel of the Independent Arbitration Commission Hoffmann of the charge of " ( with ) possession of equipment for the purpose of doping in sport " has acquitted and the " trade or the administration of prohibited methods through provision of equipment for the purpose of doping in sport to other athletes ."
In August 2012, Christian Hoffmann announced that he after his doping ban reduced, would participate in the cross country championships in 2012 with scooters over 50 km. In January 2013 he won the first appearance the most prestigious ski touring slopes race " Mountain Attack " in Saalbach -Hinterglemm with a clear lead of more than four minutes.
Off the trail
On 27 April 2004 he published jointly with author C. Diendorfer his autobiography entitled " From jailbird to Olympic champion ." For his 30th birthday on December 19, was published in 2004 in Austria a stamp of Christian Hoffmann. The motif shows his final sprint at the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City in 2002.
Achievements
Olympic games
World Championships
World Cup wins
Other successes
- 2007 Austrian champion over 30 km
- 4 wins at FIS races
- Winner of the Schökel Classic Duathlon 2013
Awards
- Golden Order of Merit for Services to the Republic of Austria (1998)
- Silver Medal for Services to the Republic of Austria (1999)