Pål Arne Fagernes (8 June 1974 – 4 August 2003) was a Norwegian

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown as far as possible. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's de ...

er. He represented Asker SK and IK Tjalve during his active career. As a junior, Fagernes competed on top national level in

cycling Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...

, athletics, and

cross country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

, before deciding to focus on javelin. He made his international athletics debut at the 1994 European Cup, and competed at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

, 1997 World Championships and 1998 European Championships without reaching the final rounds. Competing for the Arizona State Sun Devils track and field team, he won the 1996 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. His international breakthrough came at the 1999 World Championships in Seville, where he finished fourth with a Norwegian record throw of 86.24 metres. At the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

in Sydney he established a Norwegian record of 86.74 metres in the qualifying round. In the final he threw 83.04 metres to finish ninth. His 86.74 m throw remained his career best.Norwegian all-time list javelin throw
His first medal at the Norwegian championships was a silver medal in 1994. He became Norwegian champion in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2002.
In 2002 Fagernes decided to take up boxing. He boxed one

professional boxing Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

match in the

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

class in 2003, which he beat his opponent Peter Simko on

technical knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

after 25 seconds. Over the years Fagernes' sporting career became tainted by personal problems. In 2000 he was sentenced to 18 days in prison for letting an intoxicated person drive his car. In 2001, shortly after withdrawing from the 2001 World Championships for disciplinary reasons, he was caught using

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

in a police razzia. He was, however, cleared of doping charges. In April 2003 he was charged with

property damage Property damage (sometimes called damage to property) is the damage or destruction of real or tangible personal property, caused by negligence, willful destruction, or an act of nature. Destruction of property (sometimes called property de ...

after walking on a car roof in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) 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 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

. Fagernes died in a car accident on the

European route E6 European route E6 (, , or simply E6) is the main north–south thoroughfare through Norway as well as the west coast of Sweden. It is long and runs from the southern tip of Sweden at Trelleborg, into Norway and through almost all of the countr ...

north of

Moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

in August 2003, when his car collided with a lorry. His Norwegian record would remain until June 2005, when it was improved to 86.82 metres by reigning Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen. Thorkildsen would later improve the record further.

Seasonal bests by year

*1994 - 74.10 *1995 - 77.46 *1996 - 85.06 *1997 - 82.80 *1998 - 84.46 *1999 - 86.24 *2000 - 86.74 *2001 - 84.30 *2002 - 81.25 *2003 - 74.82

Achievements

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fagernes, Paal Arne 1974 births 2003 deaths Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Norway Road incident deaths in Norway Norwegian male javelin throwers Norwegian male boxers Heavyweight boxers Sportspeople from Asker Athletes from Akershus Deaths of competitors in athletics NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners Arizona State Sun Devils men's track and field athletes