Arthur Emil Tokle (August 16, 1922 – March 3, 2005) was a Norwegian-born

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

ski jumper who competed for the United States at the

1952 Winter Olympics The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 6. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 6. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Oslo 1952, was a winter multi-sport event held from 14 to 25 February 195 ...

in Oslo, finishing 18th in the individual large hill event.

Biography

Tokle was born in Løkken Verk, a village in Meldal,

Sør-Trøndelag Sør-Trøndelag () was a county comprising the southern portion of the present-day Trøndelag county in Norway. It bordered the old Nord-Trøndelag county as well as the counties of Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, and Hedmark. To the west is the No ...

county, Norway. His father was a Norwegian mining official, who raised every one of his 20 children in the sport, and skied himself until he was well past 70.

Torger Tokle Torger Tokle (March 7, 1919 – March 3, 1945) was a Norwegian-born American ski jumper and military officer. During his six-year jumping career he won 42 of 48 tournaments and set 24 hill records. He died in action during the battle of Riv ...

, Art's older brother, came to the U.S. in 1939 and gained sudden fame before he was killed in Italy as a ski trooper in 1945. Kyrre Tokle, another older brother, was still jumping in informal meets in the U.S. at the age of 55. Arthur Tokle won his first national championship as a teenager and served in the Kings Guard before immigrating to America in 1947. He was US national ski jumping champion in 1951 and 1953. Tokle carried the American flag during the opening ceremonies of the

1958 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1958 took place 2-9 March 1958 in Lahti, Finland. This marked the third time the city hosted this event having done so in 1926 and 1938. Germany returned to the FIS Nordic Ski Championships for the first time ...

in Lahti, Finland and competed in the

1960 Winter Olympics The 1960 Winter Olympics (officially the VIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Squaw Valley 1960) were a winter multi-sport event held from February 18 to 28, 1960, at the Squaw Valley Resort (now known as Palisades Tahoe) in Squaw Vall ...

in Squaw Valley. He later coached the American ski jumping team at the

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

and

1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...

. Tokle was inducted in the National Ski Hall of Fame in 1970. He was a technical director for the US team at the

1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...

. He co-authored ''The Complete Guide to Cross Country Skiing and Touring''.

Personal life

In 1948, Tokle married Oddfrid Larsen and settled in Lake Telemark, New Jersey, a semi-rural community favored by Scandinavian immigrants. Together they had two children Arthur Tokle Jr. and Vivian Lynch.Art Tokle, jumper and coach
''Skiing Heritage Magazine''. March 7, 2005

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tokle, Arthur E. 1922 births 2005 deaths Olympic ski jumpers for the United States American male ski jumpers Ski jumpers at the 1952 Winter Olympics Ski jumpers at the 1960 Winter Olympics Norwegian emigrants to the United States People from Meldal