Soldier Hollow - Midway, UT, USA - Modern Olympic Venues on Waymarking.com

"Soldier Hollow is a cross-country ski resort located 53 miles (85 km) southeast of Salt Lake City in Wasatch Mountain State Park, Utah, United States. The resort was created for the 2002 Winter Olympics, and during the games it hosted the biathlon, cross-country skiing and the cross country skiing portion of the Nordic combined events. Since hosting the Olympics, it has been developed as a cross-country skiing, tubing, and snowshoeing resort, while featuring mountain biking and golfing in the summer.

During the 2002 games Soldier Hollow hosted the biathlon, cross-country skiing, and Nordic combined events. The venue itself hosted 64,160 biathlon spectators, 99,320 cross-country spectators, and 1,794 Nordic combined spectators during these events. During the 2002 Winter Paralympics the venue hosted the biathlon and cross-country events." (visit link)

"Biathlon
The sport of biathlon has been compared to running up 10 flights of stairs and then trying to thread a needle at the top. Athletes need the cardiovascular power to race on cross-country skis, and the calm precision to train rifles on five coin-sized targets half a football field away.

The Salt Lake 2002 Games featured eight biathlon events ranging from the women’s 15km individual to the men’s 4 by 7.5km relay. For each target missed, athletes incurred a 2-minute penalty or were required to ski a lap around the 150m penalty loop, depending on the event.

On February 11, the 10-year anniversary of women’s Olympic biathlon debut, Andrea Henkel of Germany shot a near-flawless race to win the gold; that same day, Norway’s Ole Einar Bjorndalen won the first of four medals he would bring home from the Salt Lake 2002 Games. His last was in the men’s 4 by 7.5km relay. “The last gold was the most important,” he said, “because it was the whole team — something we did together as a team.” (visit link)

"Cross Country Skiing
The oldest winter sport saw some fresh triumphs at Soldier Hollow during the Salt Lake 2002 Games, including Beckie Scott, who won Canada’s first-ever cross country medal in the women’s 5km + 5km pursuit, and Andrus Veerpalu, who did the same for Estonia in the men’s 15km classical. Though the “Tiny Tornado,” Stefania Belmondo of Italy suffered a broken pole in the women’s 15km freestyle, a French coach handed her a replacement, and while it was too long, she eventually got the right size — and the gold. “At the moment when I broke my pole, I cried from the bottom of my heart,” she said. “It am very, very happy. It’s incredible.” (visit link)

"Nordic Combined
Joining together ski jumping and cross-country skiing, nordic combined requires many athletic skills, and the athletes competing at the Salt Lake 2002 Games had honed these skills to the finest point. Jumping at Utah Olympic Park and skiing at Soldier Hollow, Samppa Lajunen of Finland (who also played guitar in a rock band) had three perfect days, winning the individual K90/15km, team K90/4 x 5km relay and the individual K120/7.5 km sprint." (visit link)

Olympic Games: Salt Lake City Winter 2002 Sport held at venue: Biathlon (Winter) Sport held at venue No 2: Skiing (Winter) - Cross Country Skiing Additional sport(s) held at venue: Skiing (Winter) - Nordic combined (cross-country skiing portion) Start and/or Finish: Not Aplicable Web Address with Additional Details: [Web Link] Reference Supporting Olympic Use: Personal Knowledge Details of Reference Supporting Olympic Use: I was living in Salt Lake City at the time of the 2002 Winter Olympics and was able to attend Short Track Speed Skating at what was the Delta Center at the time. I wasn't able to attend events at Soldier Hollow, although I knew people who spent many hours volunteering there. Current Use: Recreational Cross Country Skiiing, as well as, ski racing and biathlon events and competitions, including playing host to the Under 23 World Championships in 2004 and U.S. Championships in 2005 and 2006. Parking Area: N 40° 28.812 W 111° 29.754 Olympic Games No 2: Not listed Olympic Games No 3: Not listed

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