Thorleif Haug (28 September 1894 – 12 December 1934) was a Norwegian skier who competed in

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 ...

and cross-country. At the 1924 Olympics he won all three Nordic skiing events (18 km, 50 km and combined). He was also awarded the bronze medal in ski jumping, but 50 years later a mistake was found in calculation of scores, Haug was demoted to fourth place, and his daughter presented her father's medal to Anders Haugen.

Biography

Thorleif Haug was born in Vivelstad, a narrow valley between the Lier Lier,

Drammen Drammen () is a city and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and villages such ...

Buskerud Buskerud () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Innlandet, Vestland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Hardanger ...

county, Norway. He was raised on the Årkvisla farm. Dominating Nordic combined and cross-country skiing events during the 1920s, he won three gold medals in the first

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 ...

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (; ; (no longer in use)), more commonly known simply as Chamonix (), is a communes of France, commune in the departments of France, department in the regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It was the site of the f ...

and was fourth in

ski jumping Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final ...

. In addition, he won the 50 kilometres cross-country 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 ...

a record six times (1918–1921, 1923–1924) and the Nordic combined three times (1919–21). Haug shared the Holmenkollen medal in 1919 with fellow Norwegian Otto Aasen. Haug also won a silver in the Nordic combined at the

1926 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1926 took place between February 4–6, 1926 in Lahti, Finland. Men's cross country 30 km February 4, 1926 18 km was replaced by 30 km, but returned the following year. 30 km would not r ...

Lahti Lahti (; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Päijät-Häme. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Lahti is approximately , while the Lahti sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately . It is the mo ...

. Haug represented his club,

SBK Drafn Ski- og Ballklubben Drafn is a Norwegian multi-sports club from Drammen, founded in 1910. The club, which takes its name from the Norse name of Drammen, was founded as a merger of the clubs Ulf (founded 1905) and Njord (founded 1906). In 1916 it ...

, Drammen. Haug worked as a plumber after his sporting career, and died of pneumonia in 1934, 40 years old.

Legacy

In 1946, a statue of Thorleif Haug by Norwegian sculptor Per Palle Storm was erected in Drammen. A road in the Voksenkollen area in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

was named after Haug during 1952. Since 1966, his skiing club has held a Memorial Race in his name (''Thorleif Haugs Minneløp'') as a part of the Thorleif Haug Ski Festival (''Thorleif Haug Skifestival''). The race runs from Geithus to

, encompassing Haug's home at Årkvisla. Drammen has an illuminated track along Bragernesåsen named Thorleif Haug's way. Thorleif Haug Lodge was officially established 21 January 1984, as the fifth lodge of the

Sons of Norway Sons of Norway (), founded in 1895 as the Independent Order of the Sons of Norway, is a fraternal organization principally representing people of Norwegian-American, Norwegian heritage in the United States and Canada. The organization includes i ...

in Norway. ''Thorleif Haug biography'' (nevasport.com)

Cross-country skiing results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).

Olympic Games

* 2 medals – (2 gold)

References

External links