Martin Hagen

Born and raised in Jackson Hole, Wyoming Martin got his first introduction to biathlon when the 1970 National Championships and team trials were held there. As a freshman in high school Martin was already a member of the ski team and later competed in the high school state championships for track and skiing. He was a member of the USSA Intermountain Junior National Ski team from 1969 to 1973. Following the 1972 Olympic Games he began biathlon training with other local junior skiers with the Junior Biathlon Club that his father helped organize. The following year in 1973 Martin won his first National Junior Championship and was one of the first juniors to be named to the U.S. National Biathlon team that competed in the World Junior Championships at Lake Placid, NY.

After participating in 1973 Martin also participated in the 1974 and 1975 World Junior Championships at Minsk, USSR and Antholz, Italy before qualifying for his first of three Winter Olympic teams in his first year as a senior at Innsbrük, Austria. Taking 1977 off to attend the University of Wyoming on a ski scholarship Martin went on to participate in four additional World Championships, bringing his total to seven and two additional Olympic Games at Lake Placid in 1980 and Sarajevo, Yugoslavia in 1984. He was also a 7-time National Champion with seven junior and two senior titles, and was awarded the Sven Johanson awards for Outstanding Junior in 1975 and for the Best American Biathlete in 1978. Among the many good international performances, he was especially good in the relay. Martin’s relay start at the 1980 Olympic Games stands out, only a few seconds behind the leaders, he set the stage for the excellent finish by the American team.

After the 1984 Olympic Games Martin went back to complete his education at the University of Wyoming, earning a degree in Environmental Science. After 15 years at the international competitive level, he followed his father’s path as an artist by creating bronze sculptures that were accepted and recognized for excellence by the USOC. He is a member of the Art of the Olympians, an international organization to represent Olympians through their artwork. He donated two of his bronze Biathlon sculptures to the Summer Biathlon program depicting the moment a biathlete leaves the range following a perfect shooting bout to be used as a traveling trophy. In 2014 Martin was inducted into the Jackson Hole Ski Club Hall of Fame. For his many achievements and contributions, Martin is welcomed into the U.S. Biathlon Association’s Hall of Fame.