Oddbjørn Hagen

Oddbjørn Hagen ( born February 3, 1908 in Ytre Rendal, Hedmark, † 25 June 1983 Skedsmo ) was a Norwegian skier who was successful in international cross-country skiing and Nordic combined.

Career

Hagen, who started for the clubs Bækkelagets SK and Ytre Rendal IL, began his sports career as a ski jumper and won at the age of 15 regional youth championship. In 1931 he moved with his family to Oslo and began mainly with training in cross-country skiing and Nordic combined. Only a year later, he won the competition at the Holmenkollen nordic combined, ahead of the Olympic champion Johan Grøttumsbråten. In the Nordic World Ski Championships 1934 in Sollefteå he reached in individual cross-country skiing over 18 km, the best Norwegian sixth place, before he won the world title in the Nordic combined. A year later he repeated this success at the Nordic World Ski Championships 1935 in Vysoke Tatry. He also won silver in the long run there.

At the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch -Partenkirchen, he won the gold medal in the Nordic combined and became also world champion again. He also won a silver medal in cross country skiing over 18 kilometers, with the Norwegian 4x10 km relay, which also included Sverre Brodahl, Olaf Hoffsbakken and Bjarne Iversen. The relay competition was first staged at the Olympic Games. After the Games, he won the 18 km race at Holmenkollen and has been in the single combination behind Olaf Hoffsbakken second. It was his last international success.

In his career, Hagen won five times the Kongsberg Cup.

Awards

In 1934 he received the Holmenkollen medal for his achievements.