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Sergey Chepikov is a Soviet and Russian biathlete and skier, two-time Olympic champion and two-time world champion in biathlon. Participant in six Olympic Games.
Sergey Chepikov was born in the working-class village of Khor, Khabarovsk Territory. His parents came from Belarus. After graduating from university, Vladimir Chepikov was assigned to the city of Biysk, Altay Territory, where the family moved there after the father of the family. At that time Sergey was three months old. Sergey played basketball, volleyball, and hockey as a child. He played a lot of hockey at the Zarya sports club. During the summer holidays, he went to the Kostroma region and practiced shooting at the shooting range where his grandfather worked. The final choice of sport was influenced by coach Ivan Chumichev, who came to hockey training and convinced Sergey to take up biathlon. At the age of 13, Chepikov was invited to a Sverdlovsk boarding school with a sports profile. There, since 1982, he trained under the guidance of Honored Trainer Pavel Beresnev. At that time, Sergey Chepikov was not the most prominent athlete in the sports school, but thanks to his determination and hard work, in 1985 he was included in the youth team of the Soviet Union.
In 1987, at the World Junior Championships in Lahti, Finland, Sergey Chepikov received three gold medals, and the local press nicknamed him the "Prince of Biathlon." A year later, at the Calgary 1988: XV Olympic Winter Games (1988), Chepikov won bronze in the 10 km individual sprint and gold as part of the National Team in the 4 × 7.5 km relay. In 1989, at the World Championships in Feistritz, Austria, 22-year-old Chepikov won gold in the 10 km team race. For the first time in the history of Soviet biathlon, he won the World Cup twice - in the 1989/1990 and 1990/1991 seasons. At the Albertville 1992: XVI Olympic Winter Games (1992), Chepikov took silver as part of a Unified Team in the 4x7.5 km relay. At the Lillehammer 1994: XVII Olympic Winter Games (1994), Sergey Chepikov won gold in the 10 km sprint. He led the Russian team in the 4x7.5 km relay, and the team won silver medals. Chepikov was also the flagbearer of the Russian team at the opening ceremony of the Games.
In 1995, Sergey Chepikov decided to switch from biathlon to cross-country skiing. However, in a new form, he could not achieve the same heights. Maximum success - 5th place in the 4x10 km relay race as part of the Russian team at the Nagano 1998: XVIII Olympic Winter Games (1998). After the Olympics in Japan, 31-year-old Sergey Chepikov decided to end his sports career.
At the beginning of 2001, Chepikov met with the President of the Russian Biathlon Union, Aleksandr Tikhonov, who convinced him to return to biathlon. Chepikov managed to make it to the team for the Salt Lake City 2002: XIX Olympic Winter Games (2002), where the team took 4th place in the 4x7.5 km relay race. In 2006, Chepikov took part in his sixth Olympics. At the Turin 2006: XX Olympic Winter Games (2006), he won silver in the 4x7.5 km relay as part of the Russian team. After the Turin Olympics, Sergey Chepikov announced plans to prepare for the Vancouver 2010: XXI Olympic Winter Games (2010), but at the end of March 2007 he announced his retirement from his sports career.
