Oddbjørn Hagen (3 February 1908 – 25 June 1983) was a

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 ...

skier who competed in

nordic combined Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics has been held since the first ever 1924 Winter Olympics, Winter Olympic ...

and

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

. He was both Olympic and World champion.

Olympic Games

At the

1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (german: IV. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 ( bar, Garmasch-Partakurch 1936), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 ...

, Hagen won one gold in the Nordic combined and two silvers in cross-country skiing. The cross-country relay event saw its first Olympic appearance in 1936. Hagen had the first leg, and finished his leg one minute ahead of Finland's

Sulo Nurmela Sulo Nurmela (13 February 1908 – 13 August 1999) was a Finnish cross-country skier. He won a gold medal at the 1936 Winter Olympics in the 4 × 10 km relay and served as the Finnish flag bearer at those games. Nurmela won two world title ...

, with Sweden's

John Berger John Peter Berger (; 5 November 1926 – 2 January 2017) was an English art critic, novelist, painter and poet. His novel '' G.'' won the 1972 Booker Prize, and his essay on art criticism ''Ways of Seeing'', written as an accompaniment to the ...

fifteen seconds further behind.

Kalle Jalkanen Kalle Jalkanen (10 May 1907 in Suonenjoki – 5 September 1941 in Kirjasalo) was a Finnish cross-country skier who competed in the late 1930s. He won a gold medal at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the 4 × 10 km relay. ...

on the final leg secured Finland the relay victory, six seconds before the Norwegian team. The 18 kilometre cross-country skiing race was also the first part of the Nordic combined. Hagen finished second in the 18 km, behind Sweden's

Erik August Larsson Erik August Larsson (12 April 1912 – 10 March 1982) was a Swedish cross-country skier who competed in the 1930s. He won two medals at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen with a gold in the 18 km and a bronze in the 4 × 10 ...

, earning him a silver medal. After the ski jumping the next day, he secured the gold medal in the combined.

World Championships

At the

FIS Nordic World Ski 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 ...

, Hagen won golds in the individual Nordic combined (1934, 1935) and silvers in the men's 4 × 10 km relay and the men's 18 km (both 1935). Hagen's consecutive world championships in Nordic combined would not be repeated until fellow Norwegian

Bjarte Engen Vik Bjarte Engen Vik (born 3 March 1971 in Tromsø) is a Norwegian former nordic combined athlete. He won the FIS World Cup overall twice, in 1997/98 and 1998/99 with a total of 24 wins. He also has eight medals from the FIS Nordic World Ski Champio ...

won the event in 1999 and 2001. In the 4 × 10 km relay in Sollefteå in 1934, Hagen had the final leg, and while battling with Sweden's Arthur Häggblad for the silver medal they both got off course and lost ten minutes. The two were passed by Germany, and Hagen finished fourth behind the Swedish team.

Holmenkollen

At the

Holmenkollen ski festival The Holmenkollen Ski Festival ( no, Holmenkollen skifestival or ) is a traditional annual Nordic skiing event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic. History It takes place in March ...

, Hagen won the Nordic combined event three times (1932, 1934, and 1935). For his Nordic combined successes at the Olympics, Holmenkollen, and World Championships, Hagen earned the Holmenkollen medal in 1934. Hagen hailed from

Ytre Rendal Ytre Rendal is a former municipality in the old Hedmark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1880 until its dissolution in 1965 when it was merged with the neighboring municipality of Øvre Rendal to form the new Rendalen Municipality. ...

, and competed for

Bækkelagets SK Bækkelagets Sportsklub is a Norwegian sports club from Bekkelaget in southern Oslo, founded in 1909. The club has sections for skiing (including ski jumping and biathlon), orienteering, handball, football, floorball and track and field athle ...

in Oslo. He received the ''King's Cup'' five times. His strongest discipline was cross-country skiing, while his results in ski jumping were steady, but not outstanding. Most of his life he worked as a workshop manager in Oslo.

Cross-country skiing results

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

Olympic Games

* 2 medals – (2 silver)

World Championships

* 2 medals – (2 silver)

References

External links

* (Nordic combined) * (Cross-country skiing) * – click Holmenkollmedaljen for downloadable pdf file * – click Vinnere for downloadable pdf file
IOC Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hagen, Oddbjorn 1908 births 1983 deaths People from Rendalen Cross-country skiers at the 1936 Winter Olympics Nordic combined skiers at the 1936 Winter Olympics Holmenkollen medalists Holmenkollen Ski Festival winners Norwegian male cross-country skiers Olympic cross-country skiers of Norway Norwegian male Nordic combined skiers Olympic Nordic combined skiers of Norway Olympic gold medalists for Norway Olympic silver medalists for Norway Olympic medalists in cross-country skiing Olympic medalists in Nordic combined FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in cross-country skiing FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in Nordic combined Medalists at the 1936 Winter Olympics Sportspeople from Innlandet 20th-century Norwegian people