Rune Glifberg (born 7 October 1974), nicknamed "The Danish Destroyer", is a Danish professional
skateboarder
Skateboarding is an action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation. S ...
. He is one of three skaters to have competed at every
X Games
The X Games are an annual extreme sports event organized, produced and broadcast by ESPN. Coverage is also shown on ESPN's sister network, ABC. The inaugural X Games were held during the summer of 1995 in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island, ...
. He has a total of 12 X Games medals. At 46, he became the oldest skateboarder to ever compete in the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
and the first male skateboarder to ever compete in a park event in the Olympic Games when he represented Denmark in the
men's park event at the
2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
.
Early life
Rune Glifberg was born in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
and began skating at the age of 11 years after a friend brought a skateboard as a gift, which he had bought in the US. He entered his first pro contest in France in 1990 and turned pro in 1992. Glifberg moved from Denmark to
Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa (; Spanish for "Table Coast") is a city in Orange County, California. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including part of the South Coast Plaza–John Wa ...
, after he finished secondary school in 1995.
Professional skateboarding
In the early 1990s, Glifberg turned professional as a
vert
Vert or Verts may refer to:
* Vert (heraldry), the colour green in heraldry
* Vert (music producer) (born 1972), pseudonym of Adam Butler, an English music producer
* Vert (river), in southern France
* Vert (sport), a competition in extreme vers ...
skater and relocated to the United States. Glifberg signed a contract with
Flip Skateboards
Flip Skateboards is a United States-based international skateboard company, co-owned by Jeremy Fox and Ian Deacon. The company produces skateboard hard goods (decks, wheels, bearings, completes, and hardware), soft goods (T-shirts, tops, sweats ...
and, as of July 2021, he remains a member of the company's professional team.
Glifberg was sponsored by shoe company
Etnies
Etnies (stylized as etnies) is a footwear brand based in Lake Forest, California, United States, and is owned by Sole Technology, Inc. As of 2013, the company sponsors professional skateboarders and BMX riders, LAB more and releases signature s ...
at around the same time as he joined Flip and his second signature shoe was called the , meaning "defend" or "defense" in Danish. As of September 2012, Glifberg has released a line of signature shoes with
Converse
Converse may refer to:
Mathematics and logic
* Converse (logic), the result of reversing the two parts of a definite or implicational statement
** Converse implication, the converse of a material implication
** Converse nonimplication, a logical c ...
that consists of "The Allston" and the "Rune Pro Mid" models.
Glifberg is a playable character in the first five games of the
Tony Hawk series of video games that consists of the four ''
Pro Skater'' games and ''
Tony Hawk's Underground
''Tony Hawk's Underground'' is a skateboarding video game and the fifth entry in the '' Tony Hawk's'' series after ''Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4''. It was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision in 2003 for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, ...
''.
Company owner
Glifberg is a part-owner of Pipeline Distribution and runs a Copenhagen-based event company "RunEvent". RunEvent was the organizer of 2010's "Burning of the Witch" skateboard contest at
Amager Strandpark
Amager Strandpark (Amager Beach Park) is a seaside public park in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located on the island of Amager and includes an artificial island and offers a total of of beaches. From the beach, the Middelgrunden wind farm can be ...
in Copenhagen. Burning of the Witch was jointly sponsored by
Volcom
Volcom is a lifestyle brand that designs, markets, and distributes boardsports-oriented products. Volcom is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, U.S. The brand is known for its trademark ''stone'' logo, its slogan ''True to This'', and the '' ...
, one of Glifberg's sponsors, and ''
Thrasher Magazine
''Thrasher'' is a skateboarding magazine founded in January 1981 by Eric Swenson and Fausto Vitello. The publication consists primarily of skateboard- and music-related articles, photography, interviews and skatepark reviews.
The magazine also ...
''. RunEvent organized Glifberg's 25th skateboarding anniversary that was held at
Fælledparken
The park Fælledparken in Copenhagen, Denmark, was created 1906–1914 by landscape architect Edvard Glæsel in cooperation with the Copenhagen Municipality on the commons (Danish: ''fælled'') previously named ''Nørrefælled'' and ''Østerfæl ...
in Copenhagen during the summer of 2011.
In 2009, Glifberg and architect Ebbe Lykke founded the skatepark design firm Glifberg+Lykke in Copenhagen. The duo have since taken the lead on a number of projects in Europe, including the Streetdome in
Haderslev
Haderslev (; german: Hadersleben ) is a Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark with a population of 22,011 (1 January 2022).[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 ...]
, Norway; Skatepark Eller in
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
, Germany; and the Urban Sport Zone in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
, Netherlands.
File:Streetdome, Haderslev 2.jpg, Streetdome in Haderslev
Personal life
Glifberg resided in the United States for seventeen years, living for a period in the
Leucadia district of
Encinitas, California
Encinitas (Spanish language, Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County (San Diego area), North County area of San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego, between ...
. He moved back to Denmark in the early 2010s and, as of 2021, is based in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
.
Contest history
X-Games
The X Games are an annual extreme sports event organized, produced and broadcast by ESPN. Coverage is also shown on ESPN's sister network, ABC. The inaugural X Games were held during the summer of 1995 in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island ...
history:
* Summer 2013 Skateboard Park: 4
* Summer 2013 Skateboard Park: 2
* Summer 2012 Skateboard Park: 3
* Summer 2011 Skateboard Vert: 17
* Summer 2011 Skateboard Park: 7
* Summer 2010 Skateboard Park: 7
* Summer 2009 Skateboard Vert: 7
* Summer 2009 Skateboard Park: 1
* Summer 2008 Skateboard Vert: 10
* Summer 2008 Skateboard Park: 1
* Summer 2007 Skateboard Vert: 7
* Summer 2006 Skateboard Vert: 5
* Summer 2005 Skateboard Vert Best Trick: 5
* Summer 2005 Skateboard Vert: 9
* Summer 2004 Skateboard Vert: 3
* Summer 2003 Skateboard Vert Doubles (
Mike Crum): 2
* Summer 2003 Skateboard Vert Best Trick: 6
* Summer 2003 Skateboard Vert: 3
* Summer 2002 Skateboard Vert Doubles (Mike Crum): 3
* Summer 2002 Skateboard Vert: 3
* Summer 2001 Skateboard Vert: 6
* Summer 2000 Skateboard Vert Doubles (Mike Crum): 6
* Summer 2000 Skateboard Vert 5
* Summer 1999 Skateboard Vert Doubles (Mike Crum): 3
* Summer 1999 Skateboard Vert: 12
* Summer 1998 Skateboard Vert: 12
* Summer 1997 Skateboard Vert Doubles (Mike Crum): 5
* Summer 1997 Skateboard Vert: 2
* Summer 1996 Skateboard Vert: 17
* Summer 1995 Skateboard Vert: 3
Competitive History
* 2nd. Place - 2010 Vans Protec Pool Party
* 2nd. Place - 2009 Converse Fix To Ride
* 1st. Place - 2009 X GAMES 15 Skateboard Park
* 1st. Place - 2009 Copenhagen Pro vert
* 3rd. Place - 2009 Vans Protec Pool Party
* 1st. Place - 2008 X GAMES 14 SUPERPARK
* 1st Place. WCSK8 - World Champion Skateboarding World Bowl Rankings
* 2nd. Place - 2008 Copenhagen Pro vert
* 1st. Place - 2008 Quiksilver Bowlriders Malmo
* 1st. Place - 2008 Vans Protec Pool Party
* 2nd. Place - 2008
Bondi Bowl-A-Rama Australia
* 1st. Place - 2008 Okaley Bowl-A-Rama Wellington, New Zealand
* 1st. Place - 2007 Copenhagen Pro vert
* 2nd in 2007 WCSK8 World Bowl Rankings
* 1st. Place - 2007 Protec Pool Party
* 1st. Place - 2007 Bowl-A-Rama Australia
* 1st. Place - 2007 Quiksilver Bowlriders (Sweden)
* 1st. Place - 2006 Northshore Bowl Jam
* 3rd. Place - 2006 Desert Dog Park Slalom
* 1st. Place - 2006 Desert Dog Bowl Bash
* 2nd. Place - 2006 GVR Etnies Bowl
* 1st. Place - 2006 Mystic Sk8 Cup: Vert
* 2nd. place - 2006 Oregon Trifecta West Linn, Oregon Bowl
* 1st. Place - 2006 Oregon Trifecta Lincoln City, Oregon Bowl
* 2nd. Place - 2006 WCSK8 World Bowl Rankings
* 2nd. Place - 2006 Vans Pro-Tec Pool Party
* 1st. Place - 2005 Vans Pro-Tec Pool Party
* 1st. Place - 2004 Mystic Sk8 Cup: Vert
* 3rd. Place - 2004 Toronto West 49 Open Vert Best Trick
* 3rd. Place - 2004 Toronto West 49 Open Vert
* 1st. Place - 2004 Gravity Games: Vert
* 1st. Place - 2004 Snickers Bowl Games
* 2nd in 2003 WCSK8 Pro Vert European Rankings
* 2nd. Place - 2003 Globe World Championships Vert
* 1st. Place - 2003 Scandinavian Open: Vert
* 1st. Place - 2003 Tampa Pro: Vert
* 2nd in 2002 Pro Vert European Rankings
* 1st. place - 2002 Scandinavian Open: Vert
* Ranked 1st; World Champion Skateboarding Vert 2001
* 1st Place - 2001 Scandinavian Open: Vert
* 1st. Place - 2001 Gravity Games: Vert
* 1st. Place - 1998
Slam City Jam
Slam City Jam, the North American Skateboard Championships, is the longest-running skateboarding event in North America and is among the best in the world. It debuted in Vancouver in 1994. The three-day event captures the vibrant music and lifesty ...
: Vert
* 1st. Place - 1996 Slam City Jam: Vert
Sponsors
Active sponsors as of July 2021:
*
Flip Skateboards
Flip Skateboards is a United States-based international skateboard company, co-owned by Jeremy Fox and Ian Deacon. The company produces skateboard hard goods (decks, wheels, bearings, completes, and hardware), soft goods (T-shirts, tops, sweats ...
*Hazard Wheels
*Indy
*
Monster Energy
Monster Energy is an energy drink that was created by Hansen Natural Company (now Monster Beverage Corporation) in April 2002. As of March 2019, Monster Energy had a 35% share of the energy drink market, the second highest share after Red Bull ...
*
Nike SB
Nike Skateboarding, primarily known as Nike SB, is the Nike brand for its line of shoes, clothing, and equipment for skateboarding. Nike Skateboarding won the 2020 Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Home/Welcome Page in the category Web.
Hist ...
*Pro-Tec
*
Volcom
Volcom is a lifestyle brand that designs, markets, and distributes boardsports-oriented products. Volcom is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, U.S. The brand is known for its trademark ''stone'' logo, its slogan ''True to This'', and the '' ...
Former sponsors
*
Converse
Converse may refer to:
Mathematics and logic
* Converse (logic), the result of reversing the two parts of a definite or implicational statement
** Converse implication, the converse of a material implication
** Converse nonimplication, a logical c ...
* MOB Griptape
* Oakley, Inc., Oakley
* Ricta
References
External links
*
*
Rune Glifberg
at The Boardr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glifberg, Rune
1974 births
Living people
Danish skateboarders
X Games athletes
Skateboarders at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Olympic skateboarders of Denmark
Danish expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Sportspeople from Copenhagen