Jay Hakkinen

Jay William Hakkinen (born July 19, 1977) is a former biathlete. He is a four-time American Olympian, and his 10th-place finish in the 20-kilometer individual race at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy was the best finish ever by an American biathlete.[1]

Jay Hakkinen
Jay Hakkinen in 2012
Personal information
Full nameJay William Hakkinen
Born (1977-07-19) July 19, 1977
Kasilof, Alaska,
United States
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Professional information
SportBiathlon
World Cup debutMarch 11, 1995
Olympic Games
Teams4 (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010)
Medals0
World Championships
Teams14 (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012)
Medals0
World Cup
Seasons18 (1994/95,
1996/97–2012/13)
All victories0
All podiums0
Medal record
Men's biathlon
Representing  United States
Junior World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1997 Forni Avoltri 10 km sprint

Hakkinen retired from the sport at the end of the 2013–14 season.[2]

Background

At the age of three, Hakkinen learned how to skate. Soon after, he picked up cross-country skiing, where he won the Junior 5 km freestyle. He got involved in biathlon when in 1994, he went for a year to a Norwegian town in a student exchange program.[3] His host parents were able to arrange for him to trade with a local biathlon club. Within three years of returning home to Alaska, he was the Junior World Champion of biathlon.[3]

Performance in Turin

Hakkinen placed 10th in the 20-kilometer individual race at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. He had the 2nd fastest skiing time of anyone in the competition, but failed to medal because of penalties he earned while shooting.[1][4] He vowed to medal in his next event, but instead missed all five targets and fell quickly out of contention.[5] Hakkinen was the lead biathlete for the United States in the relay, and was in first place when he handed off to his teammate; ultimately, however, the United States finished in 9th in the relay.[6]

Biathlon results

All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union.[7]

Olympic Games
Event Individual Sprint Pursuit Mass start Relay
Japan 1998 Nagano 42nd 60th — — 17th
United States 2002 Salt Lake City 26th 26th 13th — 15th
Italy 2006 Turin 10th 78th — 13th 9th
Canada 2010 Vancouver 76th 54th 57th — 13th
*Pursuit was added as an event in 2002, with mass start being added in 2006.

World Championships
Event Individual Sprint Pursuit Mass start Team Relay Mixed relay
Slovakia 1997 Brezno-Osrblie 37th — — — 14th 20th —
Slovenia 1998 Pokljuka — — 39th — 10th — —
Finland 1999 Kontiolahti 48th 16th 24th 18th — 18th —
Norway 2000 Oslo Holmenkollen 31st 32nd 30th — — 16th —
Slovenia 2001 Pokljuka 39th 31st 41st — — — —
Russia 2003 Khanty-Mansiysk — 47th 51st — — 17th —
Germany 2004 Oberhof 70th 47th LAP — — 18th —
Austria 2005 Hochfilzen 69th 18th 23rd — — — DNS
Slovenia 2006 Pokljuka — — — — — — 18th
Italy 2007 Antholz-Anterselva 31st 38th 18th 9th — 9th —
Sweden 2008 Östersund — 89th — — — 15th —
South Korea 2009 Pyeongchang DNF — — — — — —
Russia 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk 80th 42nd 35th — — 6th 13th
Germany 2012 Ruhpolding 31st 91st — — — 10th —
*During Olympic seasons competitions are only held for those events not included in the Olympic program.
**Team was removed as an event in 1998, and mass start was added in 1999 with the mixed relay being added in 2005.

References
  1. Dure, Beau (February 9, 2010). "Improved U.S. team targets increased exposure". USA Today. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  2. Little, Chelsea (May 16, 2014). "Biathlete on the Rise, Smith Earns National Team Nomination as U.S. Builds for Future". FasterSkier. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  3. "Jay Hakkinen Bio". NBC Olympics. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  4. Boeck, Greg (February 11, 2006). "USA's Hakkinen skies well, ends a shot short of bronze". USA Today. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  5. "American way off-target in quest for biathlon medal". Associated Press. February 14, 2006. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  6. "Germany wins biathlon relay; U.S. briefly in first". USA Today. February 21, 2006. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  7. "Jay Hakkinen". IBU Datacenter. International Biathlon Union. Archived from the original on June 27, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
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