Christian Hoffmann

Christian Hoffmann (born December 22, 1974 in Aigen im Mühlkreis) is an Austrian former cross-country skier who began competing in 1994. He won the bronze medal in the 50 km at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. Four years later at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Hoffmann finished second in the 30 km freestyle mass start event to Spain's Johann Mühlegg, but was awarded the gold medal in 2004 upon Mühlegg's blood-doping disqualification of darbepoetin.

Hoffmann's best individual finish at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships was fifth in the 50 km in 2001. He also won gold in the 4 x 10 km relay at the 1999 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Ramsau.

Hoffman also won two World Cup events in his career (10 km: 2003, 30 km: 2004). He and fellow skier Mikhail Botvinov also encountered controversy regarding blood doping in 2002, though both were cleared by the IOC on April 9, 2002. In December 2011 the Austrian Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) gave Hoffman a six-year ban for blood doping done from 2003 to 2006. Provided by Wikipedia