Vegard Høidalen

Vegard Hoidalen ( born May 10, 1971 in Skien ) is a Norwegian beach volleyball player. He was European champion and twice took part in the Olympic Games.

Career

Hoidalen graduated in 1995 his first open tournament with Jarle Huseby. In 1996 he formed a new duo with his longtime partner JORRE André Kjemperud. The following year Kjemperud / Hoidalen won in a purely Norwegian finale against Jan Kvalheim and Bjorn Maaseide the final of the European Championships in Riccione. They also took part in the first World Cup and occupied the 17th place. 1998 succeeded the Norwegians in Berlin, the first success in an open tournament. In the final they defeated the current world champion Guilherme and Pará in Brazil. At the European Championships in Rhodes, the defending champion won the bronze medal. A year later Kjemperud / Hoidalen not arrived at the World Cup in Marseille on rank 25 out. The European Championships in Marseille, they finished in ninth place. The same result there was in the Olympic tournament in Sydney in 2000. The next three European Championships brought the duo's three more bronze medals in a row. Also the third place they reached at the World Championships in Klagenfurt. After three ninth places at the 2003 European Championships in Alanya and 2004 in Timmendorfer beach as well as the World Cup tournament in Rio de Janeiro in 2004, they took part in Sydney for the second time at the Olympic tournament and were again ninth. Then went their separate ways.

Hoidalen played from 2005 Terje Oevergaard and retired at the World Championships in Berlin after two defeat without winning any set of. From Paris Grand Slam 2006 until the end of 2008 was his partner Kjell Arne Goranson. For the new duo in 2007 ended the World Cup in the first round against the eventual semi-finalists Emanuel / Ricardo. At the European Championships in Valencia Hoidalen joined with his old partner Kjemperud and retired after two three set defeats.

After a few more tournaments with Goranson he formed in 2009 and again in 2010 a permanent duo with Kjemperud. At the World Cup in their own country they lost in the first round the Austrians Gosch / Horst. 2011 plays Hoidalen with Geir Eithun.