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Bjørn Dæhlie (born June 19, 1967) is a Norwegian cross-country skier. He has won 8 Olympic titles, and 9 World Championships.
Dæhlie, born in Elverum, was the dominant cross-country skier of the 1990s. His 8 Olympic titles are a record for an athlete at the Winter Olympics, as is his total of 12 Olympic medals (he also won 4 silver medals) which he amassed in three Olympics (Albertville, Lillehammer, and Nagano). In addition to his Olympic record, he had great success at the world championships (17 medals; 9 gold), especially in 1997 when he won medals in all five of the events. If it wasn't for a career-ending crash taken while roller skiing, Dæhlie may have been able to further add to his collection of medals. Even so, he is generally considered the greatest Nordic skier of all time.
Dæhlie attributes much of his later success in sport to his upbringing. Hunting, fishing, hiking, kayaking, soccer, and, of course, skiing were all part of his life from a very young age. For much of his childhood Dæhlie wanted to be a soccer player, but after prompting by a coach tried Nordic skiing. Although Dæhlie did not have immediate success as a junior racer, he improved every year, and after years of training qualified for fis (http://www.fis-ski.com/) World Cup competition.
In addition to being an athletic figurehead, Dæhlie is a cultural icon in Norway. A shrewd businessman, Dæhlie has been heavily featured in advertising campaigns, started a brand of signature ski apparel, and even hosted a television show called gutta på tur.
Olympic medals:
- Albertville 1992
- Silver 30 km
- Gold 15 km pursuit
- Gold 50 km
- Gold 4x10 km relay
- Lillehammer 1994
- Gold 10 km
- Silver 30 km
- Gold 15 km pursuit
- Silver 4x10 km relay
- Nagano 1998
- Gold 10 km
- Silver 15 km pursuit
- Gold 50 km
- Gold 4x10 km relay
External link
- Official website (http://www.bjorn-daehlie.com/index.php3?&lan=E)de:Bjørn Dæhlie
et:Bjørn Dæhlie fr:Bjørn Dæhlie no:Bjørn Dæhlie sv:Bjørn Dæhlie