At the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, Ole Einar Bjoerndalen was determined to be in his best shape for the biathlon. Seeking out meaningful practice, he entered the 30km cross-country skiing race and came close to a medal, finishing sixth. Bjoerndalen won gold medals in every biathlon race at Salt Lake City, four in all. Prior to 2002, no biathlete had ever earned more than two gold medals at a single Olympic Winter Games.