Tormod Kåre Knutsen (7 January 1932 – 23 February 2021) was a Norwegian
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 ...
skier, who won the
Nordic combined event at the
1964 Winter Olympics
The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games (german: IX. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 ( bar, Innschbruck 1964, label=Austro-Bavarian), was a winter multi-sport event which was celebr ...
, and came second at the
1960 Winter Olympics
The 1960 Winter Olympics (officially the VIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Squaw Valley 1960) were a winter multi-sport event held from February 18 to 28, 1960, at the Squaw Valley Resort (now known as Palisades Tahoe) in Squaw Vall ...
. He won four national championships, and in 1960, he received the Norwegian
Holmenkollen Medal.
Sports career
Knutsen started as a ski jumper, winning the national junior titles in 1949 and 1951.
[ He failed to qualify for the ]1952 Winter Olympics
The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 6. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 6. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Oslo 1952, was a winter multi-sport event held from 14 to 25 February 195 ...
in Oslo, after which he considered taking up 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 ...
skiing. Whilst completing military service
Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription).
Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require a ...
, he met Nordic combined skiers Gunder Gundersen
Gunder Gundersen (12 September 1930 – 2 June 2005) was a Norwegian Nordic combined skier and sports official. He was born in Asker.
Competitive career
During his active career he won two individual FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medals (195 ...
and Sverre Stenersen
Sverre Stenersen (18 June 1926 – 17 December 2005) was a Norwegian Nordic combined skier who dominated the event throughout the 1950s. His biggest triumphs were winning individual gold medals at the 1954 World Championships and 1956 Olympics. H ...
, who encouraged him to take up the event.[ Knutsen won a bronze medal in the Nordic combined event at the 1955 national championships.][ He was selected for the ]1956 Winter Olympics
The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games ( it, VII Giochi Olimpici invernali) and commonly known as Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 ( lld, Anpezo 1956 or ), was a multi-sport event held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from ...
as a substitute, and was included to the main team two days before the event due to an injury of Gunder Gundersen; Knutsen placed sixth.[ He was the third best placed Norwegian in the event, behind Stenersen and ]Arne Barhaugen
Arne Barhaugen (January 11, 1932 – February 10, 2008) was a Norwegian nordic combined skier who competed in the 1950s and 1960s. He finished fifth in the Nordic combined event at the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo and first in the ...
.[
In 1958, Knutsen won Nordic combined in 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 ...
;[ he was the only Norwegian to win an event.][ That year, he also came 9th at the ]FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1958
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1958 took place 2-9 March 1958 in Lahti, Finland. This marked the third time the city hosted this event having done so in 1926 and 1938. Germany returned to the FIS Nordic Ski Championships for the first time ...
. He won the national titles in 1959 and 1960.[ In 1960, he also placed second in ski jumping at the national championships.][ He was a favourite for the Nordic combined event at the ]1960 Winter Olympics
The 1960 Winter Olympics (officially the VIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Squaw Valley 1960) were a winter multi-sport event held from February 18 to 28, 1960, at the Squaw Valley Resort (now known as Palisades Tahoe) in Squaw Vall ...
, and finished second to Georg Thoma
Georg Thoma (; born 20 August 1937) is a retired German Nordic combined skier and ski jumper. He won a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics, becoming the first non-Scandinavian athlete to do so, and was voted German Sportsman of the Year. At the 196 ...
.[ After placing fourth at the ]FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1962
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1962 took place February 18–25, 1962 in Zakopane, Poland. Zakopane became the second city to host the world championships three times (1929, 1939), joining Lahti, Finland (1926, 1938, and 1958). Women's 5&nb ...
, he won the national title in 1963 and 1964.[ Knutsen won a gold medal in the Nordic combined event at the ]1964 Winter Olympics
The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games (german: IX. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 ( bar, Innschbruck 1964, label=Austro-Bavarian), was a winter multi-sport event which was celebr ...
in Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...
, Austria.[ He had been in second place, behind Thoma, after the ski jumping phase of the event. It was Norway's first gold medal of the Games. Later in the year, Knutsen finished sixth at the Holmenkollen Ski Festival,][ and he retired at the end of the 1964 season.][Tormod Knutsen]
sports-reference.com In 1964, he wrote an autobiography
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life.
It is a form of biography.
Definition
The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
''I hopp og løype'' (''In jumps and trails'').
Awards
Knutsen received the Holmenkollen Medal in 1960, shared with Helmut Recknagel
Helmut Recknagel (born 20 March 1937 in Steinbach-Hallenberg) is an East German former ski jumper who was active in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
He earned a gold medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics in ski jumping and also won the Holmenkolle ...
, Sixten Jernberg
Edy Sixten Jernberg, known as "Sixten", (6 February 1929 – 14 July 2012) was a Swedish cross-country skier and one of the most successful cross-country skiers of all time. Between 1952 and 1964 he took part in 363 ski races, finishing within t ...
and Sverre Stensheim
Sverre Malvin Stensheim (31 October 1933 – 22 January 2022) was a Norwegian cross-country skier.
Career
He competed in the 30 km and 50 km events at the 1960 and 1964 Winter Olympics with the best result of fifth place in the ...
.
Personal life
Knutsen was born in Eidsvoll
Eidsvoll (; sometimes written as ''Eidsvold'') is a municipality in Akershus in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sundet.
General information
E ...
on 7 January 1932. He represented the club Eidsvold Værks Skiklub.
He died in Eidsvoll on 23 February 2021.[ His death was announced by his son Audun Knutsen.]
Nordic combined results
Results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS), unless indicated otherwise.
Olympic Games
World Championship
References
External links
*
Holmenkollen medalists
- click Holmenkollmedaljen for downloadable pdf file
Holmenkollen winners since 1892
- click Vinnere for downloadable pdf file
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knutsen, Tormod
1932 births
2021 deaths
People from Eidsvoll
Nordic combined skiers at the 1956 Winter Olympics
Nordic combined skiers at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Nordic combined skiers at the 1964 Winter Olympics
Holmenkollen medalists
Holmenkollen Ski Festival winners
Norwegian male Nordic combined skiers
Olympic Nordic combined skiers of Norway
Olympic medalists in Nordic combined
Medalists at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Medalists at the 1964 Winter Olympics
Olympic gold medalists for Norway
Olympic silver medalists for Norway
Norwegian autobiographers