Jan Ottosson (born 10 March 1960 in Högsäter,

Dalsland Dalsland () is a Swedish traditional province, or ''landskap'', situated in Götaland in southern Sweden. Lying to the west of Lake Vänern, it is bordered by Värmland to the north, Västergötland to the southeast, Bohuslän to the west, and ...

) is a former

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

cross-country skier. A national team skier, he also represented

Åsarna IK Åsarna IK, founded in 1924, is a Swedish sports club in Åsarna, Jämtland. The club has had many prominent competitors in cross-country skiing, which is evident in the nickname of the village Åsarna, ''Guldbyn'' (Gold Village), which was coined ...

during the 1980s and early 1990s. He won two gold medals in the 4 × 10 km relay at the

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

(1984 and 1988), providing some of the most iconic and impressive legs of Swedish Olympic history. Additionally, he finished sixth in the 50 km event at the

1988 Winter Olympics The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games (french: XVes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Calgary 1988 ( bla, Mohkínsstsisi 1988; sto, Wîchîspa Oyade 1988 or ; cr, Otôskwanihk 1998/; srs, Guts� ...

, sixth in the 15 km event at the 1991

Nordic skiing World Championships The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships is a biennial nordic skiing event organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS). The World Championships was started in 1925 for men and opened for women's participation in 1954. World Championship e ...

, won eight individual Swedish championships, and won ten Swedish championship gold medals in the relays. Ottosson in best known is for winning the

Vasaloppet (Swedish for 'the Vasa-race') is an annual long distance cross-country ski race held on the first Sunday of March. The course starts in the village of Berga, just south of Sälen in western Dalarna, Sweden, and ends in the town of Mora in the c ...

four times in (1989, 1991, 1992, 1994). After his active career with the Åsarnas squad, Ottosson now works as an official on the Bergs ski center. Currently, Ottosson runs his own Vasaloppet training program, where the former champion helps others prepare for the race. Ottosson also owns a state-of-the-art ski grinding machine and a ski waxing business which the former champion uses to perfect patrons' skis for Vasaloppet race conditions.

Cross-country skiing results

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

Olympic Games

* 2 medals – (2 gold)

World Championships

World Cup

Season standings

Individual podiums

*1 victory *5 podiums

Team podiums

* 6 victories * 9 podiums Note: Until the

1994 Winter Olympics The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 17. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 17. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, was an international winter multi-sport event held fro ...

, Olympic races were included in the World Cup scoring system.

References

External links

Factmonster information on cross country skiing Olympic champions 1924-2002, including Ottosson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ottosson, Jan Cross-country skiers at the 1984 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1988 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1992 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1994 Winter Olympics Swedish male cross-country skiers Vasaloppet winners 1960 births Living people Olympic medalists in cross-country skiing Medalists at the 1984 Winter Olympics Åsarna IK skiers Medalists at the 1988 Winter Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Sweden Olympic cross-country skiers of Sweden