Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
*Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
*Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including the ...
competition
rower
Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...
and Olympic medalist.
He received a silver medal in ''quadruple sculls'' at the
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...
in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
, together with
Alf Hansen
Alf John Hansen (born 13 July 1948) is a retired rower from Norway. Early in his career, he received two Norwegian sport awards shared with his brother Frank. Towards the end of his career in 1990, he was the inaugural recipient of the Thomas K ...
,
Vetle Vinje
Vetle Vinje (born 14 March 1962) is a Norwegian competition rower and Olympic medalist.
He competed in the men's coxed pair event at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He received a silver medal in ''quadruple sculls'' at the 1988 Summer Olympics ...
, and
Rolf Thorsen
Rolf Bernt Thorsen (born 22 February 1961) is a Norwegian former competition rower, world champion and Olympic medalist.
Thorsen was born in Zürich, Switzerland, in 1961. He received a silver medal in quadruple sculls at the 1988 Summer Olymp ...
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...
in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
quad scull
A quadruple sculling boat, often simply called a quad and abbreviated 4x, is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four people who propel the boat by sculling with two oars, or "sculls", one in each hand.
Rac ...
. He participated in several
World Rowing Championships
The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It is a week-long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of the ...
, and won gold in 1985, bronze in 1986 and silver 1987. The crew, which also consisted of
Alf Hansen
Alf John Hansen (born 13 July 1948) is a retired rower from Norway. Early in his career, he received two Norwegian sport awards shared with his brother Frank. Towards the end of his career in 1990, he was the inaugural recipient of the Thomas K ...
,
Vetle Vinje
Vetle Vinje (born 14 March 1962) is a Norwegian competition rower and Olympic medalist.
He competed in the men's coxed pair event at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He received a silver medal in ''quadruple sculls'' at the 1988 Summer Olympics ...
and
Rolf Thorsen
Rolf Bernt Thorsen (born 22 February 1961) is a Norwegian former competition rower, world champion and Olympic medalist.
Thorsen was born in Zürich, Switzerland, in 1961. He received a silver medal in quadruple sculls at the 1988 Summer Olymp ...
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
. In that competition, the Norwegian team won both the opening and the semi-final, lost the final to Italy, and secured the silver medal by winning against the East German team.
After the 1988 Olympics, Bjønness turned to
double scull
A double scull is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat by sculling with two oars each, one in each hand.
Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly s ...
, where he rowed togther with Thorsen. They won the World Rowing Championships in 1989. For the 1992 Olympics in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, the pair returned to quad scull and was joined by
Kjetil Undset
Kjetil Undset (born 24 August 1970) is a Norwegian competition rower and Olympic medalist.
He received a silver medal in quadruple sculls at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.Per Sætersdal. The Norwegian team won their opening and qualified for the final with a second placed in the semi-final behind Italy. They finished behind the German team, and thus gained the silver medal.
After the 1992 Olympics, Thorsen and Bjønness turned again to double scull, where they won a silver medal in 1993 World Cup and a gold in 1994. Bjønness ended his international career after winning the gold medal with Thorsen in the 1995 World Cup.