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Håkon Brusveen

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Håkon Brusveen
Brusveen at the 1960 Olympics
Personal information
Born(1927-07-15)15 July 1927
Vingrom, Norway[1]
Died21 April 2021(2021-04-21) (aged 93)
Lillehammer
Sport
SportCross-country skiing
ClubVingrom IL[1]
Medal record
Representing  Norway
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1960 Squaw Valley 15 km
Silver medal – second place 1960 Squaw Valley 4 × 10 km relay

Håkon Brusveen (15 July 1927 – 21 April 2021) was a Norwegian cross-country skier. He competed in the individual 15 km and 4 × 10 km relay events at the 1956 and 1960 Olympics and won two medals in 1960: a gold in the 15 km and a silver in the relay; in 1956 he placed fifth and fourth, respectively.[2] In 1958 he was awarded the Holmenkollen medal, and in 1960 the Morgenbladet Gold Medal. A freelance sports broadcaster for NRK for 35 years, he was a pioneering color commentator of cross-country skiing events.

Career

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Brusveen had a chronic asthmatic bronchitis and took up skiing to improve his condition. In 1952 he placed fifth in the Olympic trials and was selected as a reserve for the Olympic skiing team. He won the national 30 km title in 1953, 1957 and 1958, and around that time opened a sport shop in Lillehammer. Brusveen was originally selected as a substitute member for the 1960 Norwegian Olympic team, but performed well shortly before the Olympics, and was included to the main team upon personal recommendation from King Olav V of Norway. At the Olympics he won the 15 km race, beating Sixten Jernberg by 3 seconds at the finish, but lost by 0.8 seconds to Veikko Hakulinen in the last leg of the 4 × 10 km relay, despite having a 20 second lead at the start.[3]

After the 1960 Olympics Brusveen changed to biathlon, but failed to qualify for the 1964 Olympics by a small margin.[2] From the 1960s onwards he became a popular radio commentator of cross-country skiing events for Norsk Rikskringkasting.[3] He was a freelance color commentator for NRK for 35 years starting in 1963,[4] and labeled the first such in Norway.[5] He often collaborated with Bjørge Lillelien on live broadcasting of cross-country events. As a cross-country expert, his reporting style was pioneering at the time; situated somewhere out by the tracks, he commented on skiers' speed, technique, and look when they passed. His last assignment as a sports reporter was the winter season of 1997.[4]

Brusveen was awarded the Holmenkollen Medal in 1958, jointly with Inger Bjørnbakken,[6] and the Morgenbladet Gold Medal in 1960.[1] He was portrayed by Arvid Møller in 1965, in the book 3–2–1–Gå. Håkon Brusveen forteller til Arvid Møller.[4][7] On his 90th birthday in 2017, a Brusveen exhibition opened at the Norwegian Olympic Museum.[5][8]

Brusveen died at the age of 93 in Lillehammer on 21 April 2021.[9][1]

Cross-country skiing results

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All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[10]

Olympic Games

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  • 2 medals – (1 gold, 1 silver)
 Year   Age   15 km   30 km   50 km   4 × 10 km 
 relay 
1956 28 5 — — 4
1960 32 Gold — — Silver

World Championships

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 Year   Age   15 km   30 km   50 km   4 × 10 km 
 relay 
1954 26 20 — — 4
1958 30 5 17 — 4

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Bryhn, Rolf. "Håkon Brusveen". In Bolstad, Erik (ed.). Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Håkon Brusveen". olympedia.org. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Håkon Brusveen". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  4. ^ a b c Goksøyr, Matti. "Håkon Brusveen". In Helle, Knut (ed.). Norsk biografisk leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b Lote, Arve. "Gullvinnaren som fekk OL-tur etter hjelp frå Kongen". nrk.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  6. ^ Bryhn, Rolf; Sundby, Jørn. "Holmenkollmedaljen". In Bolstad, Erik (ed.). Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  7. ^ 3-2-1 -gå [i.e. Tre-to-enn-gå] Håkon Brusveen forteller til Arvid Møller. OCLC 904064461. Retrieved 22 April 2021 – via worldcat.org.
  8. ^ "Håkon Brusveen – olympisk mester og radiolegende". ol.museum.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  9. ^ Vollan, Mette; Engeland, Anders; Kessel, Dag. "Skilegenden Håkon Brusveen er død". nrk.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  10. ^ "BRUSVEEN Haakon". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
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