Eirik Verås Larsen
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Eirik Verås Larsen (born 26 March 1976 in Flekkefjord) is a Norwegian sprint kayaker who has competed internationally since the early 1990s. He has participated in three
Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
, and has won a complete set of medals (gold:
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
K-1 1000 m and
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
K-1 1000 m, silver:
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
K-1 1000 m, bronze: 2004 K-2 1000 m). Eirik Verås Larsen's definitive international breakthrough came when he and his companion Nils Olav Fjeldheim won the European Championship K2-1000 gold medal in 2000.


Early career

Verås Larsen started kayaking at the age of 10 in Flekkefjord, a small town at the south west coast with 8000 inhabitants. Flekkefjord Kayak Club had a history of producing world champions – such as his coach Olaf Søyland who won gold medals in K4-10 000m in 1975 and in the K2-1000m in 1979. As a young competitive athlete on national level Verås Larsen was never the top ranking guy. He was however known as being dedicated, hard working, and he was feared by many for his endurance capacity. Towards the end of his teenage years his hard work started to pay off, and as a 17-year-old he surprised many by winning the bronze medal in the 1993 Nordic Marathon Junior Championship in Sweden. Verås Larsen moved to Oslo in 1995 in order to be surrounded by the best racers in Norway. For several years he trained in the group around Knut Holman, the number one dominating athlete in the men's K1-1000 meter throughout the 1990s (three olympic gold medals, five times world champion).


International breakthrough

Eirik Verås Larsen's definitive international breakthrough came when he and his companion Nils Olav Fjeldheim won the European Championship K2-1000 gold medal in 2000 in
Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...
, Poland. The achievement resulted in a wild-card from the International Canoe Federation for participation in the Sydney Olympics the same year, where they placed 9th on K2-1000.


The golden years – European-, World Champion

In 2001 Verås Larsen won his first World Champion gold medal. He and Nils Olav Fjeldheim were superior to the other teams in the K2-1000 final in Poznań, Poland. This was the start of Verås Larsen's golden years. From 2002 Verås Larsen went for combining K1-1000 and K2-1000. Although the K2 continued to perform very well, it was his K1 achievements that would dominate the coming years of his career. He won World Champion Gold medals in K1-1000 in 2002 and 2005. In 2006 Larsen was never in top shape and did not win any international titles. His best results were 5th on K1-500 in the European Championships, and 6th on K1-1000 in the World Championships. This wake-up call may well have turned out to sharpen his focus towards the 2008 Olympics for which he was a clear gold candidate. After a disappointing 2006 he was back on track in 2007 and won the Gold medal on K1-1000 at the European Championships, and he finished 3rd in the World Championships later the same year. Before the 2009 season Verås Larsen decided to go for K2 with Jacob Norenberg, and did not race internationally in K1. Together they won the 2009 European Championships at K2-1000 in Germany and finished 5th in the World Championships in Halifax later the same year. Verås Larsen held the individual (K-1) 1000m world record of 3:24.920 (
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2004) until it was bettered by Ben Fouhy of
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(
Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...
2006) with the time of 3:24.495 (backwind of 2 m/s).


Olympic Champion

The number one milestone of his career came in the
2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
in
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. Over a few years he had tried to combine K2-1000m, K1-1000m and K1-500m. This was a major challenge as the event racing times were very close in the championship time schedules. In Athens he won gold medal in K1-1000, followed by an impressive bronze medal in K2-1000 one hour later. He also finished 4th at K1-500. There was some uncertainty around his fitness level in the
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
in
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. Since 2005 his best result in the World Championships was 3rd in 2007. He came to
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
with a 6th place in K2-1000 (with
Mattis Næss Mattis Næss (born 18 May 1973) is a Norwegian sprint canoer who competed from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s (decade). Biography He won a bronze medal in the K-2 1000 m event at the 2005 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Zagreb. N ...
) as his best result from the European Championships, not having participated in K1-1000. In
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
he won a silver medal at K1-1000 meter only beaten by Tim Brabants (GBR), and claimed that he was very happy as he had done his best race since 2004. He completed a great season by finishing 4th in the Olympic K1-500. He earned his second gold of
Olympics 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 ...
in
2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
in Canoe Sprint's Kayak Single (K1) 1000m event.


Marathon canoeing

In 2001 and 2002 Verås Larsen won the K2 marathon World Championships together with his companion Nils Olav Fjeldheim.


Step down and comeback

After the 2009 season Verås Larsen decided that he would not race in 2010. He had attained his goals with several gold medals in both the Olympics and in World Championships, and needed time to decide whether he would go for another Olympics. On 18 August 2010 a Norwegian newspaper broke the news that Verås Larsen was ready for a comeback, aiming for another gold medal at the
2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
in London.. In his first international World Cup competition in the comeback season 2011 he finished 2nd on K1-1000m (Poznań, Poland).


Personal life

In 2011 he married
Mira Verås Larsen Mira Verås Larsen (born 17 April 1987, Bærum) is a Norwegian canoe sprinter. She was selected to be Norway's flag-bearer at the 2012 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations. Personal life Her great grandfather took the first norwegian olympic gold in ...
, who also competed as a kayaker in the 2012 Olympics.


Education

Eirik Verås Larsen holds a MSc in biomechanics from the
Norwegian School of Sport Sciences The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences ( no, Norges idrettshøgskole, NIH) is a public university located at Sognsvann in Oslo, Norway. It has the national responsibility for education and research related within sport sciences. It provides educa ...
.


References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Larsen, Eirik Veras 1976 births Canoeists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Living people Norwegian male canoeists Olympic canoeists of Norway Olympic gold medalists for Norway Olympic silver medalists for Norway Olympic bronze medalists for Norway People from Vest-Agder People from Flekkefjord Norwegian School of Sport Sciences alumni Olympic medalists in canoeing ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in kayak Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Agder