Ronny Ackermann (; born 16 May 1977 in

Bad Salzungen Bad Salzungen () is a town in Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wartburgkreis district. Geography Location Bad Salzungen is situated on the river Werra, east of Tiefenort and south of Eisenach. Divisions In July 2018 the form ...

, Bezirk Suhl) is a German former

Nordic combined Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics has been held since the first 1924 Winter Olympics, Winter Olympics in ...

skier. Ackermann started to learn to ski when he was five years old and took up ski-jumping two years later. As of 2004, he belongs to the team of Rhöner WSV Dermbach. His many successes include winning the Nordic combined World Cup in 2002, 2003 and 2008. Ackermann found success in the

FIS Nordic World Ski Championships The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships is a biennial Nordic skiing event organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS). The World Championships was started in 1925 for men and opened for women's participation in 1954. World Championship eve ...

, winning ten medals, including four golds (15 km individual: 2003, 2005, 2007; 7.5 km sprint: 2005), five silvers (7.5 km sprint: 2003, 4 x 5 km team: 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009), and a bronze (7.5 km sprint: 2001.) He also has won three silvers at the

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...

in the sprint (2002) and team (2002, 2006) events. Ackermann is the first person to win the 15 km individual World Championships three straight times and the first to do it at the World Championships or Winter Olympic level since fellow (East) German Ulrich Wehling did it during the Winter Olympics of

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

. Ackermann has also won the Nordic combined event at the

Holmenkollen ski festival The Holmenkollen Ski Festival ( or ) is a traditional annual Nordic skiing event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic. History It takes place in March and has been arranged every ...

three times, with 2 wins in the individual competition (2002, 2004) and a win in the sprint competition (2003). In 2003, Ackermann received the Holmenkollen medal (shared with

Felix Gottwald Felix Gottwald (born 13 January 1976 in Zell am See, Austria, now resides in Salzburg, Austria) is an Austrian Nordic combined athlete who competed from 1994 to 2007 and then returned to compete in 2009. He is , weighing . Gottwald made his Ol ...

). He was elected ''Sportler des Jahres'' (

Sportsman of the Year Since its inception in 1954, ''Sports Illustrated'' has annually presented the Sportsman of the Year award to "the athlete or team whose performance that year most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement." Both Americans and non-Ame ...

) in 2005.

References

*
Holmenkollen medalists
- click Holmenkollmedaljen for downloadable pdf file
Holmenkollen winners since 1892
- click Vinnere for downloadable pdf file {{DEFAULTSORT:Ackermann, Ronny 1977 births Living people People from Bad Salzungen Sportspeople from Bezirk Suhl German male Nordic combined skiers Skiers from Thuringia Olympic Nordic combined skiers for Germany Nordic combined skiers at the 1998 Winter Olympics Nordic combined skiers at the 2002 Winter Olympics Nordic combined skiers at the 2006 Winter Olympics Holmenkollen medalists Holmenkollen Ski Festival winners Olympic silver medalists for Germany Nordic combined Grand Prix winners Olympic medalists in Nordic combined FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in Nordic combined Medalists at the 2006 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 2002 Winter Olympics 20th-century German sportsmen