About Alexander Tikhonov
Alexander Ivanovich Tikhonov (Russian: Александр Иванович Тихонов; born 2 January 1947) is a former Soviet-Russian biathlete. He is a four-time Olympic champion, winning his gold medals in relays. On 23 July 2007, he was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to three years of imprisonment, but he was amnestied immediately and did not spend any time in prison. == Life and career == Tikhonov trained at Dynamo in Novosibirsk. He won nine world championship biathlon gold medals and four Olympic gold medals. He lacks an individual Olympic gold medal in his cupboard, but took part in the gold medal relay winning teams in 1968, 1972, 1976, and 1980. W.D. Frank, author of Everyone to Skis! Skiing in Russia and the Rise of Soviet Biathlon, wrote in his book that Tikhonov was a member of the KGB. In 1999 he ran for election to become governor of the Moscow region, but Tikhonov lost in the first round. After Tikhonov was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, he fled and lived in Austria for several years in the early 2000s. During the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, when biathlete Valeria Vasnetsova complained about the quality of food she was receiving at her hotel, Tikhonov said: "I would cut off Vasnetsova's tongue for such complaints.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.