MINSK, 3 August (BelTA) – Belarus' best biathlete, four-time Olympic champion Darya Domracheva has turned 35.
Darya Domracheva was born in Minsk on 3 August 1986. In 1990, she moved with her parents-architects to the Siberian city of Nyagan. At first Dasha was fond of basketball, but in 1992 she started skiing together with her elder brother. Darya took up biathlon at the age of 13. Her first coach was Albert Musin. Darya spent all her summer vacations in Belarus with her relatives, and in 2003, the family returned to Minsk.
In 2004, when she was still competing for Russia, the Russian Biathlon Union removed her from the national team as unpromising, despite the fact that she had been the national junior champion more than once. Darya did not give up and soon started defending Belarus' national colors. It was in Belarus where she achieved amazing results. Her first success was at the 2005 Biathlon World Junior Championship in Kontiolahti, Finland. The future top biathlon star won the Sprint and Pursuit events there. Domracheva made her debut at the adult World Cup on 1 December 2006 in Ostersund, Sweden, placing 16th in the Sprint.
Darya made it to the World Cup podium for the first time on 16 January 2009, finishing 3rd in the Sprint in Ruhpolding, Germany. That same year at the World Championships in Pyeongchang she set a record for the most points scored in a women's pursuit race - after finishing 53rd in sprint she moved up 48 positions to almost make it to the podium. In 2009/2010 season Darya Domracheva won the World Cup races for the first time: she took gold in the Sprint in Kontiolahti on 13 March and won the Pursuit the next day. All in all, Darya Domracheva graced the podium 81 times in her individual races securing 34 golds, 23 silvers and 24 bronzes. Darya is a winner of the Big Crystal Globe of the 2014/15 IBU World Cup. She won two golds, four silvers and one bronze at the world championships. She also added two golds at the European Championships and one gold at the Universiade.
As for the Olympic Games, Darya Domracheva started her medal countdown in Vancouver in 2010, winning bronze in the 15km Individual. The Belarusian biathlon won three golds in the Pursuit, Individual and Mass Start events at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Darya Domracheva was awarded the Hero of Belarus title for her outstanding achievements at the Sochi Olympics. At the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, she and her teammates won gold in the Women's 4x6km Relay. This victory made her the most titled biathlete in the world.
Darya Domracheva announced her retirement from sport on 25 June 2018. The athlete bid farewell to biathlon at a retirement event that followed the Legends Race biathlon festival at the Raubichi Olympic Training Center on 18 February 2019. The festival founded by the athlete featured famous biathletes who had achieved significant victories in their sporting careers. One of the most titled participants was Darya's husband, eight-time Olympic biathlon champion Ole Einar Bjorndalen of Norway. The farewell ceremony ended with a colorful laser show, fireworks and long applause from the fans.
In 2019, Darya became the winner of the Stars of the Commonwealth interstate award.
In September 2019, Darya Domracheva signed a contract with the National Olympic Committee of China and began training the country's national team for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
In 2020, the four-time champion was a member of the jury of the competition to develop a mascot for the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey Championship.
Darya Domracheva has two higher education degrees from the Belarusian State Economic University. She defended her diploma in advertising in the tourism industry, and later completed a degree in business law.
Darya Domracheva is married to greatest biathlete of all time Ole Einar Bjorndalen of Norway. The star couple had a daughter, Ksenia, who was born in Minsk on 1 October 2016.
The second film of the Belarusian Athletes' Rules of Life project came out on 30 July 2021. The heroine of the film is four-time Olympic champion biathlete Darya Domracheva, who shares her secrets of how to achieve success, remain a positive and energetic person in any situation.
