Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle

Double Olympic champion Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle is one of Germany's most accomplished cross-country skiers and biathletes, with a remarkable career spanning two winter sports disciplines. Competing across three Winter Olympics, she secured five Olympic medals, including gold in the 4 × 5 km relay in 2002 and team sprint in 2010, alongside three silvers and six World Championship medals. After transitioning to biathlon in 2012, she achieved World Cup success before retiring to earn a bachelor's degree in nutritional counselling. Now drawing on both her elite athletic experience and academic expertise, she empowers audiences with practical insights on nutrition, peak performance, and resilience.

At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle captured her first Olympic gold medal in the 4 x 5 km relay alongside a silver in the individual sprint, launching a career that would see her become one of Germany's most decorated winter athletes. The double triumph earned her the Silver Laurel Leaf from German President Johannes Rau and marked the beginning of an extraordinary journey across two demanding winter sports disciplines. Over three Olympic Games, she accumulated five medals, including a second gold in the team sprint at Vancouver 2010 with Claudia Nystad, cementing her place amongst Germany's elite cross-country skiers. Her achievements extended to six World Championship medals, including gold in the relay at Val di Fiemme in 2003 and four silvers earned between 2003 and 2009.

Sachenbacher-Stehle's versatility and determination became particularly evident when she transitioned to biathlon in 2012, a bold move that demonstrated her appetite for new challenges at the highest level. Within a year, she secured her first World Cup victory in March 2013, proving her ability to master the technical demands of a completely different discipline. Her career faced its greatest test at the 2014 Winter Olympics when a positive test for a stimulant found in contaminated supplements led to intense scrutiny and an initial two-year ban. The International Court of Arbitration for Sport later reduced her suspension to six months after an official investigation confirmed the contamination, ultimately vindicating her integrity and allowing her to retire with her reputation restored.

Since stepping away from competitive sport, Sachenbacher-Stehle has redirected her focus towards health and nutrition, earning a bachelor's degree in nutritional counselling. Now residing in Fischen in the Allgäu region with her husband, former alpine ski racer Johannes Stehle, and their two children, she applies both her academic expertise and lived experience as an elite athlete to help audiences understand the critical role nutrition plays in performance and wellbeing. Her presentations offer practical guidance on child nutrition and healthy living, drawing on the discipline and knowledge that defined her athletic career. Audiences benefit from her unique perspective on resilience, adaptability, and maintaining peak performance under pressure, whilst her personal journey through adversity provides powerful lessons on integrity and perseverance that resonate far beyond the sporting arena.