Richard Simonsen (born 20 August 1945) is a former Norwegian sprinter who specialized in the

200 Year 200 ( CC) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Victorinus (or, less frequently, year 953 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 200 for this y ...

and

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is ...

. Simonsen ran for the

Minnesota Golden Gophers track and field The Minnesota Golden Gophers track and field team is the track and field program that represents University of Minnesota. The Golden Gophers compete in NCAA Division I as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The team is based in St. Paul, Minnes ...

team, leading off their All-American

4 × 100 m relay 4 (four) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is tetraphobia, considered unlucky i ...

team at the 1968 NCAA University Division outdoor track and field championships. He finished eighth in

4 × 400 metres relay The 4 × 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track and field, track event in which teams consist of four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap, totaling 1600 meters. It is traditionally the final event of ...

at the 1971 European Championships with his teammates Steinar Mo, Gøte Lundblad and Per Rom. He also participated at the 1969 European Championships, but never at the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

. He became Norwegian champion in 200 m in 1967, 1970 and 1971 and in 400 m in the years 1967–1970.Norwegian championships in 400 metres

References

1945 births Living people Norwegian male sprinters People educated at The Portsmouth Grammar School 20th-century Norwegian sportsmen Minnesota Golden Gophers men's track and field athletes {{Norway-athletics-bio-stub