Bjørn Dæhlie

Bjørn Erlend Dæhlie (born 19 June 1967) is a Norwegian businessman and retired cross-country skier. With 8 olympic gold medals, Dæhlie is the most winning winter olympic champion of all time. With nine gold medals in the Nord World Ski Championships he is in addition the most winning World Champion skier. Dæhlie won a total of 29 medals in the Olympics and World Championships in the period between 1991 and 1999, making Dæhlie the most successful cross-country skier in history.

During his career, Dæhlie measured the highest Vo2 max ever recorded, at 96 ml/kg/min. Dæhlie's result was achieved out of season, and physiologist Erlend Hem who was responsible for the testing stated that he would not discount the possibility of the skier passing 100 ml/kg/min at his absolute peak.

In addition to being an athletic figurehead, Dæhlie is a cultural icon in Norway. Since retiring, Dæhlie has become a successful businessman in real estate and fashion. His real estate investments have produced a fortune of more than a quarter of a billion kroner. A shrewd businessman, Dæhlie has been heavily featured in advertising campaigns, he started a brand of signature ski apparel, and he even co-hosted a television show called Gutta på tur. Dæhlie also invented the Salomon Nordic System Pilot Bindings.

Early life and career

Born in Elverum, Norway, Dæhlie later moved to Nannestad, where he settled down. Dæhlie attributes much of his success in sports to his upbringing where he was active in hunting, fishing, hiking, kayaking, football and of course, skiing from a very early age. For much of his childhood Dæhlie wanted to be a football player, but after being prompted by a coach, he tried Nordic skiing. Dæhlie did not have immediate success as a junior racer but he consistently improved and eventually qualified for the FIS World Cup competitions.

Athletic career

Dæhlie's eight Olympic titles are a record for the Winter Olympics, as are his total of 12 Olympic medals (he also won four silver medals) which he amassed in three Olympics (Albertville, Lillehammer and Nagano). In addition to his achievements at the Olympics he had great success in the World Championships where he won 17 medals of which 9 were gold medals. He was particularly successful in the Trondheim 1997 World Championships, where he earned medals in all five events. A career-ending roller skiing accident in 2000 prevented Dæhlie from adding more medals to his collection. Despite his unanticipated early exit from the sport, Dæhlie is considered by many to be the greatest Winter Olympic athlete of all time.^[1] Despite the fact that he never won an event at the Holmenkollen ski festival, Dæhlie was awarded the Holmenkollen medal in 1997 (shared with Bjarte Engen Vik and Stefania Belmondo).

During his career, Dæhlie measured the highest Vo2 max ever recorded at an astounding 96 ml/kg/min. Dæhlie's result was achieved out of season, and physiologist Erlend Hem who was responsible for the testing stated that he would not discount the possibility of the skier passing 100 ml/kg/min at his absolute peak. By comparison a competitive club athlete might achieve a VO2 max of around 70 ml/kg/min.

He also supports non-profit organisations that work for causes such as multiple sclerosis.^[2]

In 2009 Dæhlie raced in the American Birkebeiner, the largest cross country ski race in America, which is starts in Cable, Wisconsin and finishes in Hayward, Wisconsin. Dæhlie competed in the classic race, which is 54 km long, finishing second in a photo finish.

In 2011, Dæhlie won the downhill event in the Kicksled World Championships in Hurdal.^[3] Also in 2011, Dæhlie announced a comeback, stating his intention to participate in long distance races like Marcialonga and Vasaloppet.

See also

• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games
• List of multiple Winter Olympic medalists

References

• Bjoern Daehlie at the International Ski Federation
• Holmenkollen medalists - click Holmenkollmedaljen for downloadable pdf file (Norwegian)
• Official website

1. ^ http://www.olympic.org/en/content/Olympic-Athletes/All-Athletes/Athletes-DA-to-DM/-BJORN-DAEHLIE-/
2. ^ Tallying a Birkebeiner score card
3. ^ http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/article4027980.ece