Birger Ruud (23 August 1911 – 13 June 1998) was a Norwegian ski jumper and alpine skier.
| Birger Ruud | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Birger Ruud in 1936 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Norway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 23 August 1911 Kongsberg, Norway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 13 June 1998 (aged 86) Kongsberg, Norway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best | 92 m (302 ft) Planica, Yugoslavia (25 March 1934) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career
edit
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, the first repeat winner of ski jumping gold.[1] 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 incarcerated at Grini concentration camp for expressing his anti-Nazi sentiments.[1] After his release in 1944, he joined the Norwegian resistance movement.[2] He also competed in the 1948 Olympics, winning the ski jumping silver medal at age 36, though he was initially only at the Games as assistant coach of Norway’s ski jumping team.[1] This accomplishment he personally held in the highest regard; it made him the first ski jumper to medal in three different Olympics.[1]
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.[3][4]
Later in life, Birger Ruud, with his friend Petter Hugsted, the 1948 gold medalist, 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 selected to light the Olympic Flame at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics in Norway, but had to withdraw due to heart complications immediately before the event. He died in 1998, aged 86.[1]
Ski jumping world records
edit| Date | Hill | Location | Metres | Feet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 January 1931 | Odnesbakken | Odnes, Norway | 76.5 | 251 |
| 24 March 1934 | Bloudkova velikanka K90 | Planica, Kingdom of Yugoslavia | 87 | 285 |
| 25 March 1934 | Bloudkova velikanka K90 | Planica, Kingdom of Yugoslavia | 92 | 302 |
Not recognized! Crash at world record distance.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Lutz, Rachel (February 14, 2018). "1948: Birger Ruud wins silver after surviving Nazi concentration camp". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
- ^ Wallechinsky, David; Jaime Loucky (2005). The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics, Toronto: Sport Classic Books. ISBN 1-894963-45-8
- ^ "Kjempe-hopp i Flubergbakken (page 2)" (in Norwegian). Porsgrunns Dagblad. 19 January 1931.
- ^ "Svetovni rekordi na naših tleh / Rekord za rekordom (page 1)" (in Slovenian). Jutro. 26 March 1934.
- ^ "Višek smučarske sezone, p.14" (in Slovenian). Slovenec. 25 March 1934.
External links
edit
- "Biography of Birger Ruud in English". Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- Birger Ruud's Memorial Fund
- Birger Ruud Philately
- Birger Ruud at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation. Alpine skiing profile
- Birger Ruud at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation. Ski jumping profile
- Holmenkollen medalists - click Holmenkollmedaljen for downloadable pdf file at the Wayback Machine (archived February 24, 2007) (in Norwegian)
- Holmenkollen winners since 1892 – click Vinnere for downloadable pdf file at the Wayback Machine (archived February 24, 2007) (in Norwegian)
- Birger Ruud at Olympics.com
- Birger Ruud at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- Sculpture