Tor Torgersen (20 March 1928 – 23 October 2020) was a Norwegian long-distance runner. He specialized in the longest track distances,

5000 5000 or ''variation'', may refer to: In general * A.D. 5000, the last year of the 5th millennium CE, an exceptional common year starting on Wednesday * 5000 BCE, a year in the 5th millennium BC * 5000s AD, a decade, century, millennium in the 6th ...

and

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The race ...

, as well as

cross-country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...

and from around 1960 the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

, in which he also competed at that year's Olympic Games. On the track he became national champion in two events in 1959, with an additional four titles taken outside the track. He was later a national team coach in swimming.

Career

Torgersen was born in Drammen. During his career, he represented the clubs IF Torodd,

Sarpsborg IL Sarpsborg ( or ), historically Borg, is a city and municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg. Sarpsborg is part of the fifth largest urban area in Norway when paired with neigh ...

and IK Tjalve. His personal best times were 8:11.0 in the

3000 metres The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000m shoul ...

(1959), 14:13.8 in the 5000 metres (1959), the former Norwegian record 29:30.8 in the 10,000 metres (1959) and 2:27:30 hours in the marathon (1960). In middle distance races he had 3:56.6 in the

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

(1958) and 4:19.8 in the

mile run The mile run (1,760 yards or exactly 1,609.344 metres) is a middle-distance foot race. The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races. It survived track and field's switch to ...

(1955). Internationally he placed eleventh in the 10,000 metres at the 1958 European Championships and 26th in the marathon at the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

in Rome. On the track he became Norwegian champion in the 5000 metres in 1959 ahead of

Reidar Andreassen Reidar Andreassen (born 19 December 1932) is a retired Norwegian long distance runner and cross-country skier. He was national champion in both athletics and skiing and competed internationally in skiing. He has received the Egebergs Ærespris, and ...

and

Pål Benum Pål Sverre Benum (3 August 1935 – 23 September 2021) was a Norwegian long-distance runner. He specialized in the longest track distances, 5000 and 10,000 metres, eventually competing at the 1964 Olympic Games. He also competed in cross-coun ...

. He also won silver medals in 1956, 1958 and 1960 and a bronze in 1955. In 1959 he also won the national 10,000 metres title. He broke a

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

dominance of more than decade, with Martin Stokken,

Øistein Saksvik Øistein Saksvik (7 January 1925 – 10 November 1998) was a Norwegian long-distance runner. He specialized in the 5,000-metre and the 10,000-metre runs, as well as in cross country running. At the 1952 Olympic Games, he competed in the 5,000-me ...

and

Ernst Larsen Ernst Willy Larsen (18 July 1926 – 2 December 2015) was a Norwegian athlete, who competed mainly in the 3000 metre steeplechase. He represented Ranheim IL. Larsen won the bronze medal in this event at the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbo ...

having won all titles but one since 1947. In this event, Torgersen also won a national silver medal in 1957. Torgersen also overcame Saksvik's Norwegian record in the 10,000 metres, set in 1955, when he in July 1959 at Bislett stadion ran the distance in 29:30.8 minutes. The record stood until 1964, when it was beaten by

Thor Helland Thor Helland (10 December 1936 – 2 August 2021) was a Norwegian long-distance runner who specialized in the 5000 metres. Helland was born in Sørfold, Nordland. At the 1964 Summer Olympics he finished eighth in the 5000m final in 13:57.0 min ...

. Aged 31 years and 3 months when he set the record, Torgersen is still the oldest ever 10,000 metre record setter in Norway. Torgersen with IK Tjalve sat a new Norwegian club record in the 4 × 1500 metres relay in 1958, but it was broken by IL i BUL's team three months later. Torgersen also broke the Norwegian record in the one-hour run in 1960, but this was an intermediate time in a longer distance race, and since Torgersen did not finish that race the intermediate time was not sanctioned as a record. On the road, Torgersen became national marathon champion in the Olympic season 1960; his only medal in the event. He won one title in the cross-country forest course, in 1957, and took bronze medals in 1956 and 1958. In 1957 and 1959 he won the 8 kilometre cross-country championship, with a silver in 1960, and in the 3 kilometre cross-country championship he took bronze medals in 1958, 1959 and 1960. He also won the road relay Holmenkollstafetten with IK Tjalve. Torgersen was a teacher and coach in

Larvik Larvik () is a List of cities in Norway, town and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestfold in Vestfold og Telemark Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. The municipality ...

, and has been credited with discovering the talent of middle-distance runner

Lars Martin Kaupang Lars Martin Kaupang (born 18 August 1952) is a Norwegian middle distance runner. He specialized in the 1500 metres, in which he held the Norwegian record from 1976 to 2012. He hailed from Larvik and was discovered in school by teacher, coach and ...

. He was also a Norwegian national team coach in swimming until 1981, when he was hired in the Danish swimming club

AGF Aarhus Aarhus Gymnastikforening (; commonly known as AGF ), is a professional sports club based in Aarhus, Jutland, Denmark. Founded in 1880, it is one of the oldest clubs in the country and gymnastics and fencing are featured as its main sports. Howev ...

. Here he coached Olympic medallist Susanne Nielsson.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Torgersen, Tor 1928 births 2020 deaths Sportspeople from Drammen Norwegian male long-distance runners Olympic athletes for Norway Norwegian athletics coaches Swimming coaches Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics