Birger Ruud

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Medal record

Birger Ruud
Men's ski jumping
Competitor for  Norway
Olympic Games
Gold 1932 Lake Placid Individual large hill
Gold 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Individual large hill
Silver 1948 St. Moritz Individual large hill
World Championships
Gold 1931 Oberhof Individual large hill
Gold 1935 Vysoké Tatry Individual large hill
Gold 1937 Chamonix Individual large hill
Silver 1939 Zakopane Individual large hill
Men's alpine skiing
World Championships
Bronze 1935 Mürren Alpine combined

Birger Ruud (23 August 1911 – 13 June 1998) was a Norwegian ski jumper.

Born in Kongsberg, Birger Ruud, with his brothers Sigmund and Asbjørn, dominated international jumping in the 1930s, winning three world championships in 1931, 1935 and 1937. Ruud also won the Olympic gold medal in 1932 and 1936. He also was an accomplished alpine skier, winning a bronze medal in the combined at the 1935 world championships. Ruud won the Holmenkollen ski jumping competition in 1934 and shared the Holmenkollen medal in 1937 with Olaf Hoffsbakken and Martin P. Vangsli.

In 1943, during the German occupation of Norway, Ruud was committed to Grini concentration camp for expressing his anti-Nazi sentiments. After his release in 1944, he joined the Norwegian resistance movement.[1] Impressively, he competed also in the 1948 Olympics, at age 36, winning the silver medal in ski jumping. This accomplishment he personally held in the highest regard. Twice he set ski jumping world records: 76.5 m (250.98 ft) in Odnesbakken in 1931, and 92 m (301.84 ft) in Planica in 1934.

Later in life, Birger Ruud, with his friend Petter Hugsted, participated in the creation of the Kongsberg Skiing Museum.

In 1987, a bronze sculpture of Birger Ruud, by the Norwegian sculptor Per Ung, was set up in Ruud’s native town of Kongsberg, and in 1991 he was awarded the Egebergs Ærespris for his achievements in ski jumping and alpine skiing. Ruud was supposed to light the Olympic Flame at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, but had to forfeit due to heart complications immediately before the event.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Wallechinsky, David; Jaime Loucky (2005). The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics, Toronto: Sport Classic Books. ISBN 1-894963-45-8

1925: Willen Dick (TCH) • 1926: Jacob Tullin Thams (NOR) • 1927: Tore Edman (SWE) • 1929: Sigmund Ruud (NOR) • 1930: Gunnar Andersen (NOR) • 1931: Birger Ruud (NOR) • 1933: Marcel Reymond (SUI) • 1934: Kristian Johansson (NOR) • 1935: Birger Ruud (NOR) • 1937: Birger Ruud (NOR) • 1938: Asbjørn Ruud (NOR) • 1939: Josef Bradl (GER)
World War II
1950: Hans Bjørnstad (NOR) • 1954: Matti Pietikäinen (FIN) • 1958: Juhani Kärkinen (FIN) • 1962: Helmut Recknagel (GDR) • 1966: Bjørn Wirkola (NOR) • 1970: Gariy Napalkov (URS) • 1974: Hans-Georg Aschenbach (GDR) • 1978: Tapio Räisänen (FIN) • 1982: Matti Nykänen (FIN) • 1985: Per Bergerud (NOR) • 1987: Andreas Felder (AUT) • 1989: Jari Puikkonen (FIN) • 1991: Franci Petek (YUG) • 1993: Espen Bredesen (NOR) • 1995: Tommy Ingebrigtsen (NOR) • 1997: Masahiko Harada (JPN) • 1999: Martin Schmitt (GER) • 2001: Martin Schmitt (GER) • 2003: Adam Małysz (POL) • 2005: Janne Ahonen (FIN) • 2007: Simon Ammann (SUI) • 2009: Andreas Küttel (SUI) • 2011: Gregor Schlierenzauer (AUT)
Preceded by
Grete Ingeborg Nykkelmo		 Egebergs Ærespris
1991		 Succeeded by
Ingrid Kristiansen
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Birger_Ruud&oldid=461577676"
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