Viktor Olaf Olsen (5 February 1924 – 21 April 2023) was a Norwegian long-distance runner who specialized in the

marathon race The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

. He finished sixteenth at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...

, ninth at the 1954 European Championships and finally eighteenth at the 1958 European Championships. Olsen became Norwegian marathon champion in 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958 and 1959, breaking a four-year dominance of

John Systad John Systad (14 September 1912 – 16 September 1998) was a Norwegian long-distance runner who specialized in the marathon race. He represented TIF Viking in Bergen. He finished twelfth at the 1946 European Championships, eighth at the 1948 S ...

. He also won a bronze medal in 1950 as well as silver medals in 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1960 and 1961. He also dominated the 25 kilometre road race in the 1950s, winning a bronze in 1949 and 1950; silver in 1958 and gold in 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957. He represented the club

Charlottenlund SK Charlottenlund Sportsklubb is a Norwegian sports club from Charlottenlund in Trondheim, Trøndelag, Norway. It has sections for association football and team handball. It was established on 24 May 1945 as a merger of ''Charlottenlund IL'', ''Ch ...

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...

. His personal best time was 2:28:50 hours, achieved in August 1958 in

. Olsen died on 21 April 2023, at the age of 99.

References

1924 births 2023 deaths Athletes from Trondheim Norwegian male long-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Norway 20th-century Norwegian sportsmen {{Norway-athletics-bio-stub