Thorleif Schjelderup (20 January 1920 – 28 May 2006) 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 ...

ski jumper Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fina ...

, author and environmentalist. He was born to Ferdinand Schjelderup and Marie Leigh Vogt.Genealogy
(vestraat.net) His father was a Supreme Court judge, a mountaineering pioneer, and a leader of the

Norwegian resistance movement The Norwegian resistance (Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms: *Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled governmen ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. His son grew up in Oslo, where he took up ski jumping. He placed fourth 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 ...

in 1940 and second in 1946 and 1948. In 1948 he also won bronze medals at the national championships and Winter Olympics and graduated in law from the

Oslo University The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

. On 15 March 1950 he became the first Norwegian athlete to break the 100 m barrier when he jumped over 106 m in

Planica Planica () is an Alpine valley in northwestern Slovenia, extending south from the border village of Rateče, not far from another well-known ski resort, Kranjska Gora. Further south, the valley extends into the Tamar Valley, a popular hiking ...

, Yugoslavia. He retired in 1953 to become a ski jumping coach with Italian (1953–56) and Norwegian national teams (1956–1962). Besides ski jumping Schjelderup was known as an author, photographer and environmentalist who traveled around the country to promote outdoor activities. He published 10 books, mostly about ski jumping and nature, including the first Norwegian textbook on environmentalism for the elementary school in 1973. Schjelderup was married to the Norwegian actress and playwright Sossen Krohg from 1942 to 1947. In 1948 he met the African-American singer

Anne Brown Anne Brown (August 9, 1912March 13, 2009) was an American soprano for whom George Gershwin rewrote the part of "Bess" into a leading role in the original production of his opera '' Porgy and Bess'' in 1935. She was also a radio and concert sin ...

. She moved with him to

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 ...

where the couple eventually married. After their separation in 1969 he lived with the musical actress and singer Ranveig Eckhoff until 1985, and for several years they stayed in Stockholm.

References

External links

* 1920 births 2006 deaths Norwegian male ski jumpers Norwegian sportswriters Norwegian writers Olympic ski jumpers for Norway Olympic bronze medalists for Norway Olympic medalists in ski jumping Ski jumpers at the 1948 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 1948 Winter Olympics {{Norway-Winter-Olympic-medalist-stub