Marcus Hellner is a Swedish

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 cross-country skier

Cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...

 who has been competing since 2003.

Athletic career

Hellner had a total of seven victories in the junior levels of cross-country skiing up to 30 km from 2003 to 2005. In Gällivare

Gällivare

Gällivare is a locality and the seat of Gällivare Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 8,480 inhabitants in 2005. The town was founded in the 17th century...

, Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, he took his first world cup win on a 15 km event.

Hellner won Bronze

Bronze

Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...

, his first medal, in the 4 x 10 km

Cross-country skiing at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2007

Cross-country skiing was one of the three disciplines of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2007, held between February 22 and March 4, 2007 in Sapporo, Japan....

 at the 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships

2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships

The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2007 took place February 22 - March 4, 2007 in Sapporo, Japan. This was the second time this city has hosted these championships, doing so previously at the 1972 Winter Olympics, having been voted at the 43rd FIS World Congress in Portorož, Slovenia on June 6,...

 in Sapporo.

In the 2010 Winter Olympics

2010 Winter Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

 in Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

, Hellner won his first Olympic Gold medal  in the 30 kilometer cross-country pursuit

Cross-country skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Men's 30 kilometre pursuit

The men's 15 kilometre + 15 kilometre double pursuit cross-country skiing competition at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, was held on 20 February at Whistler Olympic Park in Whistler, British Columbia, at 13:30 PST....

, deciding the race in a sprint at the end. At the 4 x 10 km Classic/Free

Cross-country skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Men's 30 kilometre pursuit

The men's 15 kilometre + 15 kilometre double pursuit cross-country skiing competition at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, was held on 20 February at Whistler Olympic Park in Whistler, British Columbia, at 13:30 PST....

, Hellner took gold for Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 after leading the race from the very start.

In the 2011 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oslo

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

, Hellner opened his championship with winning a decicive victory in the men's sprint

FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2011 – Men's sprint

The men's sprint was held on 24 February 2011. Sprint qualifying at 13:00 CET with finals at 15:00 CET. The defending world champion was Norway's Ola Vigen Hattestad while the defending Olympic champion was Russia's Nikita Kriukov.-Qualification:...

. A couple of days later, Hellner, like in the 2010 Winter Olympics

2010 Winter Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

, rode the last lap for Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 in the 4 x 10 kilometre relay

FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2011 – Men's 4 × 10 kilometre relay

The Men's 4 x 10 kilometre relay was held on 4 March 2011 at 13:00 CET The defending world champions were the Norwegian team of Eldar Rønning, Odd-Bjørn Hjelmeset, Tore Ruud Hofstad and Petter Northug while the defending Olympic champions were the Swedish team of Daniel Rickardsson, Johan Olsson,...

. This time finishing second, winning a silver medal

Silver medal

A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....

 for Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

.