Valery Stolyarov

The high point of Valery Stolyarov’s career was at the 1998 Winter Olympics, where he won a surprising bronze medal. Stolyarov surprised everyone by finishing the jumping phase in second place, but was still not considered a medal contender. But the cross-country part of the competition was held under very harsh conditions on a rainy day where the front skiers had an advantage and Stolyarov managed to hold his position nearly to the end of competition, being passed by the Finn Samppa Lajunen only a few metres before the finish. The next year, at the 1999 World Championships, Stolyarov won his second major international tournament medal, when he helped the Russian team win bronze. Earlier, Stolyarov had also won team bronze at the 1991 World Junior Championships. Domestically Stolyarov won the Soviet title in 1990, CIS title in 1992 and a Russian title in 1997. After finishing his sporting career in 2002, Stolyarov ran a sporting goods store in St. Petersburg, Russia.