Ole Kristian Furuseth (born 7 January 1967) is a retired Norwegian
alpine skier
Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...
. He scored his first
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
victory in
Furano in 1989 and his final World Cup victory in
Bormio
Bormio ( lmo, Bormi, rm, italic=yes, , german: Worms im Veltlintal) is a town and ''comune'' with a population of about 4,100 located in the Province of Sondrio, Lombardy region of the Alps in northern Italy.
The centre of the upper Valtellina ...
in 2000, and in total he has three World Cup victories in
giant slalom
Giant slalom (GS) is an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles ("gates") spaced at a greater distance from each other than in slalom but less than in Super-G.
Giant slalom and slalom make up t ...
and six in
slalom
To slalom is to zigzag between obstacles. It may refer to:
Sports
;Alpine skiing and/or snowboarding
* Slalom skiing, an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline
* Giant slalom, an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline
* Super-G ...
. Furuseth won a bronze medal in the slalom competition at the
1991 World Championships in
Saalbach, and a silver medal at the
1998 Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...
in
Nagano Nagano may refer to:
Places
* Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan
** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture
*** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics
*** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano
*** Nagano Universi ...
.
Early life and career
Born in
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
, he represented the skiing club
Ullensaker SK
Ullensaker Skiklubb is a Norwegian sports club from Ullensaker, founded in 1958. It has sections for alpine skiing, Telemark skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and biathlon
The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country ski ...
.
His first international competition was the 1985 Junior World Championships, in which he finished eleventh in
downhill
Downhill may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Downhill'' (1927 film), a British film by Alfred Hitchcock
* ''Downhill'' (2014 film), a British comedy directed by James Rouse
* ''Downhill'' (2016 film), a Chilean thriller directed by Patrici ...
and nineteenth in giant slalom. He made his
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
debut in December 1986, finishing tenth in the slalom race in
Madonna di Campiglio
Madonna di Campiglio (german: Sankt Maria im Pein) is a village and a ski resort in northeast Italy. It is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Pinzolo. The village lies in the Val Rendena at an elevation of above sea level, and has approximatel ...
. He did not compete in any World Cup races in the 1987 calendar year, but returned in the late 1987–88 season with a sixth and fifteenth place in
Bad Kleinkirchheim
Bad Kleinkirchheim is a municipality and spa town in the district of Spittal an der Drau, in Carinthia, Austria.
Until the middle of the 20th century, agriculture was the dominant focus, but it is now a renowned spa and ski resort. Although recor ...
and
Oppdal
is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Dovre region and the traditional district of Orkdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Oppdal. Other villages in the municipality include Lønse ...
, respectively.
[, retrieved on 7 January 2009]
International breakthrough
In the 1988–89 season Furuseth performed consistently well. He opened with a ninth place in
Sestriere
Sestriere (/se'strjɛre/) ( oc, Sestrieras, pms, Ël Sestrier, french: Sestrières) is a ski resort in Piedmont, Italy, a ''comune'' (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Turin. It is situated in Val Susa, from the French border. Its name ...
in December, then improved gradually until reaching the podium for the first time, with a second place from
Adelboden
, neighboring_municipalities= Diemtigen, Frutigen, Kandersteg, Lenk im Simmental, Leukerbad (VS), Sankt Stephan
, twintowns=
}
Adelboden is a mountain village and a municipality in Switzerland, located in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental administ ...
in January. He also won the slalom run in the Alpine Combined Event at the FIS Alpine Skiing World Championships. On 3 March in
Furano, he finished second in the giant slalom, winning the slalom race two days later. One week later in
Shigakogen
is a ski resort and hiking spot, located in the Jōshin'etsu-kōgen National Park in the highlands of Yamanouchi, Nagano, Japan. In 1980, an area of was designated a UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve.
Ski resort
At 4.25 square kilometres (1 ...
, he won the giant slalom race and finished second in the slalom.
As a result, he won the
Giant Slalom Cup that year, though jointly with
Pirmin Zurbriggen
Pirmin Zurbriggen (born 4 February 1963) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Switzerland. One of the most successful ski racers ever, he won the overall World Cup title four times, an Olympic gold medal in 1988 in Downhill, and nine Wor ...
. In the
Slalom Cup he finished third,
and in the
overall standings he finished fourth. He also competed at the
1989 World Championships, placing eighth in the giant slalom and sixth in the slalom.
He was given the
Norwegian Sportsperson of the Year
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 ...
award of 1989.
The 1989–90 season started equally well, with two-second places in August in
Thredbo
Thredbo is a village and ski resort in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, situated in a part of the Snowy Monaro Regional Council, and has been operated by Event Hospitality and Entertainment since 1987.
It is approximately s ...
. He then won his next race, a giant slalom competition in
Park City
Park City may refer to: a city in Utah.
Places
* National Park City, London, England, UK; see parks and open spaces in London
in the United States
* Park City, Illinois
* Park City, Kansas
* Park City, Kentucky
* Park City, Montana
* Park City, ...
in November. Although that would be his only victory that season, he became runner-up in three further races, including the
super-G
Super giant slalom, or super-G, is a racing discipline of alpine skiing. Along with the faster downhill, it is regarded as a "speed" event, in contrast to the technical events giant slalom and slalom. It debuted as an official World Cup event d ...
race in January in
Les Menuires
Les Menuires () is a ski resort in the Belleville valley of Les Trois Vallées between Saint-Martin-de-Belleville and Val Thorens. Owned and operated by Compagnie des Alpes, it is in the Savoie ''département'' of France.
The resort has 48 resta ...
.
He again won the
Giant Slalom Cup, finished second in the
overall standings and second in the
Slalom Cup.
In the 1990–91 season he performed best in the slalom. He won competitions in Madonna di Campiglio and
Kranjska Gora
Kranjska Gora (; german: Kronau) is a town in northwestern Slovenia, on the Sava Dolinka River in the Upper Carniola region, close to the Austrian and Italian borders. It is the seat of the Municipality of Kranjska Gora.
Name
Kranjska Gora was f ...
in December, and recorded three-second places, only one of them in giant slalom.
Again he finished second in the
Slalom Cup.
At the
1991 World Championships, he won the bronze medal in slalom and placed fourth in both giant slalom and super-G.
The 1991–92 season saw Furuseth compete more, but top-three achievements were somewhat more few and far between. He won a giant slalom race in Adelboden in January, finished second in a
combined race in
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the O ...
the week before, and finished third in a slalom race in Sestriere in December. At the
1992 Winter Olympics
)
, nations = 64
, athletes = 1,801 (1313 men, 488 women)
, events = 57 in 6 sports (12 disciplines)
, opening = 8 February 1992
, closing = 23 February 1992
, opened_by = President François Mitterrand
, cauldron ...
, he finished fifth in the giant slalom, fourth in the super-G and seventh in the combined race.
The 1992–93 season was a disappointment with mediocre results, although he did place twice among the top ten towards the end of the season. At the
1993 World Championships he finished fourteenth in slalom and tenth in giant slalom.
In the 1993–94 World Cup circuit he placed mostly in the 20th–30th range, with results as bad as a 61st place in
Val d'Isère
Val may refer to: Val-a
Film
* ''Val'' (film), an American documentary about Val Kilmer, directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo
Military equipment
* Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies
* AS Val, a Sov ...
in December. However, the misère in Val d'Isère was followed by a third place in Sestriere only two days later. He also recorded a second place in Kranjska Gora in January.
Results improved again in the 1994–95 season. Although he opened with a 23rd place in giant slalom in
Tignes
Tignes () is a commune in the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France, known for the highest skiable area and the longest ski season in Europe. It is located in the Savoie region with good tr ...
in December, he achieved fourth place in slalom the next day. In slalom he recorded two third places; in
Kitzbühel
Kitzbühel (, also: ; ) is a medieval town situated in the Kitzbühel Alps along the river Kitzbüheler Ache in Tyrol, Austria, about east of the state capital Innsbruck and is the administrative centre of the Kitzbühel district (). Kitzbühel ...
in January and Furano in February; he then won his last race for the season, in
Bormio
Bormio ( lmo, Bormi, rm, italic=yes, , german: Worms im Veltlintal) is a town and ''comune'' with a population of about 4,100 located in the Province of Sondrio, Lombardy region of the Alps in northern Italy.
The centre of the upper Valtellina ...
in March.
In the 1995–96 World Cup he was disqualified in most of his races, failing to reach the podium. He participated in the
1996 World Championships, postponed from 1995, and finished seventh in the slalom race
which was won by fellow countryman
Tom Stiansen
Tom Stiansen (born 3 September 1970 in Borgen) is a Norwegian former alpine skier. The highlight of his career came in 1997 when he won the World Championship slalom in Sestriere, Italy.
In the Alpine skiing World Cup he obtained five podium ...
. He performed slightly better in 1996–97, with one third place in slalom in Shigakogen in March and a fourth place at the
1997 World Championships as highlights.
From the 1997–98 season, Furuseth competed exclusively in slalom. He opened with a thirteenth place in Park City in November, but improved gradually until reaching third in Kitzbühel in January. Then, in February he won a silver medal at the
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...
, only defeated by fellow countryman
Hans Petter Buraas. A World Cup victory in
Yongpyong
Yongpyong (Dragon Valley) Ski Resort is a ski resort in South Korea, located in Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do. It is the largest ski and snowboard resort in Korea, and offers golf in the summer months.
A 1949 news article covere ...
on 1 March rounded off a successful season.
A mediocre 1998–99 season followed, but in 1999–2000 fully reinvigorated his career, achieving two fourth places, one third places, three-second places and one victory in the World Cup. The victory was his last race of the season, Bormio in March.
He reached old heights with a second place in the
Slalom Cup.
However, the results were not followed up in the 2000–01 season. A fifth place in
Åre
Åre () is a locality and one of the leading Scandinavian ski resorts situated in Åre Municipality, Jämtland County, Sweden with 3,200 inhabitants in 2018. It is, however, not the seat of the municipality, which is Järpen. 25% of the local eco ...
in February was his best World Cup result; also he finished eleventh at the
2001 World Championships. Following the 2001–02 season, where he only reached the top ten once during the season, namely in the
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internation ...
, Furuseth retired from active alpine skiing.
World Cup competition victories
Gear
Furuseth used skis and boots from
Nordica,
bindings from
Tyrolia
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Em ...
and
ski pole
Ski poles, also referred to as poles (in North America), sticks (UK), or stocks (Australia), are used by skiers for balance and propulsion. Modern ski poles are most commonly made from aluminum and carbon fiber, though materials such as bamboo are ...
s from
Scott USA.
[Ole Kristian Furuseth's official site]
, retrieved on 7 January 2009
Post-sporting career
After his active sporting career, Furuseth has turned to a business career. He has made his mark in construction, among others as a real estate developer at the ski resort
Kvitfjell
Kvitfjell ( no, White mountain) is a ski resort in Norway, located in the municipality of Ringebu.
Developed for the Alpine skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics, 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, it is one of the most modern resorts in the world ...
. He has cooperated with his brothers Paal Mogens and Jon Emil Furuseth.
Furuseth is married, and resides in Oslo. His hobbies include boat trips and
surfing
Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...
.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Furuseth, Ole Kristian
1967 births
Living people
Norwegian male alpine skiers
Olympic alpine skiers of Norway
Alpine skiers at the 1992 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiers at the 1994 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiers at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiers at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiers from Oslo
Olympic medalists in alpine skiing
FIS Alpine Ski World Cup champions
Medalists at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Olympic silver medalists for Norway