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

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

, 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

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