Mikhail Viktorovich Botvinov (Russian: Михаил Викторович Ботвинов); born 17 November 1967 in Lidinka, Soviet Union) is a Russian-born Austrian cross-country skier who competed from 1990 to 2007 for both Russia (until 1996) and Austria (since 1997).

Mikhail Botvinov
Mikhail Botvinov (left)
Country Austria
Full nameMikhail Viktorovich Botvinov
Born (1967-11-17) 17 November 1967 (age 56)
Lidinka, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
World Cup career
Seasons18 – (19891996, 19982007)
Starts171
Podiums19
Wins2
Overall titles0 – (2nd in 1999)
Discipline titles1 – (1 LD: 1999)
Medal record
Men's cross-country skiing
Representing  Austria
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2002 Salt Lake City 30 km freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Turin 50 km freestyle
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1999 Ramsau 4 × 10 km relay
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Ramsau 50 km classical
Representing  Russia
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1993 Falun 4 × 10 km relay

Career edit

He won two medals at the Winter Olympics with a silver in the men's 30 km freestyle mass start event in 2002 and a bronze in the men's 50 km freestyle mass start in 2006 (Both for Austria). He also competed for the Unified Team in the 1992 Winter Olympics and for Russia in the 1994 Winter Olympics.

Botvinov also won the 50 km event at the Holmenkollen Ski Festival in 1999, becoming the first Austrian to win the prestigious cross country event. He also won the Vasaloppet event in Sweden two years earlier.[1]

His biggest successes were at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, where he won three medals. He won a bronze in 1993 for Russia in the 4 × 10 km relay. In 1999, representing Austria, won a gold in the 4 × 10 km relay and a bronze in the 50 km.

Botvinov emigrated from Russia to Austria in 1996 and was forced to sit out both the 1996–97 FIS World Cup Season and the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano until he could his citizenship status clarified, but returned to form in 1998. He also encountered controversy with his teammate Christian Hoffmann regarding blood doping in 2002, though both were cleared by the International Olympic Committee on 9 April 2002.

Botvinov retired after the 2006–07 World Cup season.[2]

Cross-country skiing results edit

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[3]

Olympic Games edit

  • 2 medals – (1 silver, 1 bronze)
 Year   Age   10 km   15 km   Pursuit   30 km   50 km   Sprint   4 × 10 km 
 relay 
 Team 
 sprint 
1992 24 11 15 12 28 5
1994 26 4 5 4 9 5
2002 34 9 Silver 5 4
2006 38 7 Bronze

World Championships edit

  • 3 medals – (1 gold, 2 bronze)
 Year   Age   10 km   15 km 
 classical 
 15 km 
 freestyle 
 Pursuit   30 km   50 km   Sprint   4 × 10 km 
 relay 
 Team 
 sprint 
1989 21 37 16
1991 23 8
1993 25 40 8 Bronze
1995 27 10 35 29 6
1999 31 21 DNF 18 Bronze Gold
2001 33 28 13 DNF 5
2003 35 13 12 13 DSQ
2005 37 8 8 5
2007 39 DNS DNF DSQ

World Cup edit

Season standings edit

 Season   Age  Discipline standings Ski Tour standings
Overall Distance Long Distance Middle Distance Sprint Tour de
Ski
1989 21 NC
1990 22 30
1991 23 18
1992 24 6
1993 25 7
1994 26 16
1995 27 10
1996 28 7
1998 30 4 14 4
1999 31     7
2000 32 9   13 NC
2001 33 10 NC
2002 34 53
2003 35 61
2004 36 37 25
2005 37 52 30
2006 38 64 42
2007 39 108 63

Individual podiums edit

  • 2 victories
  • 19 podiums
No. Season Date Location Race Level Place
1  1991–92  14 March 1992   Vang, Norway 50 km Individual C World Cup 2nd
2  1992–93  18 December 1992   Val di Fiemme, Italy 30 km Individual F World Cup 2nd
3 3 January 1993   Kavgolovo, Russia 30 km Individual C World Cup 3rd
4  1994–95  11 February 1995   Oslo, Norway 50 km Individual C World Cup 3rd
5  1997–98  14 December 1997   Val di Fiemme, Italy 15 km Pursuit F World Cup 3rd
6 10 January 1998   Ramsau, Austria 30 km Individual F World Cup 3rd
7 11 March 1998   Falun, Sweden 10 km Individual F World Cup 2nd
8  1998–99  12 December 1998   Toblach, Italy 10 km Individual F World Cup 2nd
9 19 December 1998   Davos, Switzerland 30 km Individual C World Cup 3rd
10 12 January 1999   Nové Město, Czech Republic 30 km Individual F World Cup 1st
11 14 January 1999   Seefeld, Austria 10 km Individual F World Cup 2nd
12 28 February 1999   Ramsau, Austria 50 km Individual C World Championships[1] 3rd
13 13 March 1999   Falun, Sweden 30 km Individual C World Cup 2nd
14 20 March 1999   Oslo, Norway 50 km Individual C World Cup 1st
15  1999–00  5 February 2000   Lillehammer, Norway 10 km + 10 km Pursuit C/F World Cup 3rd
16 11 March 2000   Oslo, Norway 50 km Individual C World Cup 3rd
17  2000–01  13 January 2001   Soldier Hollow, United States 15 km Individual C World Cup 2nd
18 4 March 2001   Kavgolovo, Russia 15 km Individual F World Cup 2nd
19 25 March 2001   Kuopio, Finland 60 km Mass Start F World Cup 3rd

Team podiums edit

  • 4 victories
  • 17 podiums
No. Season Date Location Race Level Place Teammates
1  1989–90  1 March 1990   Lahti, Finland 4 × 10 km Relay C/F World Cup 2nd Badamshin / Prokurorov / Smirnov
2 16 March 1990   Vang, Norway 4 × 10 km Relay C World Cup 3rd Badamshin / Golubev / Smirnov
3  1990–91  1 March 1991   Lahti, Finland 4 × 10 km Relay C/F World Cup 3rd Badamshin / Plaksunov / Prokurorov
4 1991–92 28 February 1992   Lahti, Finland 4 × 10 km Relay F World Cup 1st Kirilov / Prokurorov / Smirnov
5 8 March 1992   Funäsdalen, Sweden 4 × 10 km Relay C World Cup 2nd Kirilov / Prokurorov / Smirnov
6  1992–93  25 February 1993   Falun, Sweden 4 × 10 km Relay C/F World Championships[1] 3rd Kirilov / Badamshin / Prokurorov
7 5 March 1993   Lahti, Finland 4 × 10 km Relay C World Cup 2nd Vorobyov / Badamshin / Prokurorov
8  1995–96  1 March 1996   Lahti, Finland 4 × 10 km Relay C/F World Cup 2nd Tchepikov / Tchernych / Prokurorov
9  1997–98  11 January 1998   Ramsau, Austria 4 × 10 km Relay C/F World Cup 3rd Stadlober / Hoffmann / Walcher
10  1998–99  20 December 1998   Davos, Switzerland 4 × 10 km Relay C/F World Cup 3rd Marent / Stadlober / Walcher
11 10 January 1999   Nové Město, Czech Republic 4 × 10 km Relay C/F World Cup 1st Gandler / Marent / Hoffmann
12 26 February 1999   Ramsau, Austria 4 × 10 km Relay C/F World Championships[1] 1st Gandler / Stadlober / Hoffmann
13  1999–00  28 November 1999   Kiruna, Sweden 4 × 10 km Relay F World Cup 3rd Marent / Walcher / Urain
14 13 January 2000   Nové Město, Czech Republic 4 × 10 km Relay C/F World Cup 2nd Marent / Walcher / Hoffmann
15 27 February 2000   Falun, Sweden 4 × 10 km Relay F World Cup 3rd Urain / Walcher / Hoffmann
16 5 March 2000   Lahti, Finland 4 × 10 km Relay C/F World Cup 1st Urain / Walcher / Hoffmann
17  2000–01  9 December 2000   Santa Caterina, Italy 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 2nd Urain / Walcher / Hoffmann

Note: 1 Until the 1999 World Championships, World Championship races were included in the World Cup scoring system.

References edit

  1. ^ "Historiska segrare" (PDF) (in Swedish). Vasaloppet. p. 2. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  2. ^ FIS Newsflash 122. April 11, 2007.
  3. ^ "Athlete : BOTVINOV Mikhail". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Retrieved 31 March 2018.

External links edit

  Media related to Mikhail Botvinov at Wikimedia Commons