Hamburg - Ole Einar Bjoerndalen seeks winter sport immortality and Magdalena Neuner can raise her glamour girl image when the biathlon World Cup season starts on Wednesday. The Norwegian Bjoerndalen, 34, enters the campaign with 81 World Cup wins in biathlon and another one in cross-country skiing which is just four shy of Ingemar Stenmark's 86 triumphs in alpine skiing.
Bjoerndalen has 25 races from Wednesday's sprint in Ostersund, Sweden, until the March 29 mass start race in the Russian venue of Khanty Mansiysk to become the most successful athlete in winter sport World Cup history.
He also has 18 relay wins for a career total 100 World Cup victories, five Olympic golds and 10 world titles, and is the defending World Cup champion after lifting the trophy for the fourth time last season.
More silverware looms when the biathlon worlds come to Asia for the first time, February 14-22 in the South Korean resort of Pyeong Chang. These races also count for the World Cup, which also stops for test events at the ski slopes and shooting range for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
But Bjoerndalen may not be at his best on Wednesday as his pre-season training was disrupted for two weeks by a gastro-intestinal infection.
"I estimate that I have lost 10 per cent of my endurance due to the infection. You lose a lot when you don't train," he told the Norwegian Dagbladet daily.
"But regardless this should not impact the world championships in Korea in February, if there are no new interruptions."
The veteran needs to be at his best to get the five wins required to move past Stenmark as there are plenty of rivals around in his own camp and elsewhere.
Compatriot Emil Hegle Svendson beat Bjoerndalen for two world titles in Ostersund last season, the strong Germans boast three-time Olympic champion and 2007 World Cup champ Michael Greis, and the Russians are led by World Cup runner-up Dmitri Yaroshenko.
Germany and Russia also have plenty of depth on the women's side where Neuner is the defending World Cup champion and the sport's new star at the age of 21.
The popular Neuner has six world titles and 11 World Cup wins, is Germany's Sportswoman of the Year, making millions through endorsements and aims to use the season to improve her shooting skills ahead of her next big goal, medals at the 2010 Olympics.
"I am very motivated and can't wait to compete again," said Neuner.
