Thorleif Haug (28 September 1894 – 12 December 1934) was a Norwegian 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. At the 1924 Olympics he won all three Nordic skiing events (18 km, 50 km and combined). He was also awarded the bronze medal in ski jumping, but 50 years later a mistake was found in calculation of scores, Haug was demoted to fourth place, and his daughter presented her father's medal to Anders Haugen.

Biography

Thorleif Haug was born in Vivelstad, a narrow valley between the Lier Lier,

Drammen Drammen () is a city and municipality in Viken (county), Viken, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and village ...

Buskerud Buskerud () is a former county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Hardan ...

county, Norway. He was raised on the Årkvisla farm. Dominating Nordic combined and cross-country skiing events during the 1920s, he won three gold medals in the first

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc ( frp, Chamôni), more commonly known as Chamonix, is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. In 2019, it had ...

and was fourth in

ski jumping 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 final ...

. In addition, he won the 50 kilometres cross-country event 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 ...

a record six times (1918–1921, 1923–1924) and the Nordic combined three times (1919–21). Haug shared the Holmenkollen medal in 1919 with fellow

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 ...

Otto Aasen. Haug also won a silver in the Nordic combined at the 1926 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in

Lahti Lahti (; sv, Lahtis) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is the capital of the region of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and its growing region is one of the main economic hubs of Finland. Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern e ...

. Haug represented his club,

SBK Drafn Ski- og Ballklubben Drafn is a Norwegian multi-sports club from Drammen, founded in 1910. The club, which takes its name from the Norse name of Drammen, was founded as a merger of the clubs Ulf (founded 1905) and Njord (founded 1906). In 1916 it ...

, Drammen. Haug worked as a plumber after his sporting career, and died of pneumonia in 1934, 40 years old.

Legacy

In 1946, a statue of Thorleif Haug by Norwegian sculptor

Per Palle Storm Per Palle Storm (1 December 1910 – 6 January 1994) was a Danish-born Norwegian sculptor and professor at the Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts. Biography He was born in Copenhagen and was raised in Argentina. He was the son of Hans Pet ...

was erected in Drammen. A road in the Voksenkollen area in

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 ...

was named after Haug during 1952. Since 1966, his skiing club has held a Memorial Race in his name (''Thorleif Haugs Minneløp'') as a part of the Thorleif Haug Ski Festival (''Thorleif Haug Skifestival''). The race runs from

Geithus Geithus is a village in Modum municipality of Buskerud, Norway. It is situated between the villages of Åmot and Vikersund. Geithus is located where the southwestern arm of Tyrifjorden ends and drains into Drammenselva. Geithusbrua is a cable bri ...

, encompassing Haug's home at Årkvisla. Drammen has an illuminated track along Bragernesåsen named Thorleif Haug's way. Thorleif Haug Lodge was officially established 21 January 1984, as the fifth lodge of the

Sons of Norway Sons of Norway ( no, Sønner av Norge), founded in 1895 as the Independent Order of the Sons of Norway, is a fraternal organization principally representing people of Norwegian heritage in the United States and Canada. The organization include ...

in Norway. ''Thorleif Haug biography'' (nevasport.com)

Cross-country skiing results

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

Olympic Games

* 2 medals – (2 gold)

References

External links