Håkon Brusveen
Norwegian cross-country skier (1927–2021)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Håkon Brusveen (15 July 1927 – 21 April 2021) was a Norwegian cross-country skier. He competed in the individual 15 km and 4 × 10 km relay events at the 1956 and 1960 Olympics and won two medals in 1960: a gold in the 15 km and a silver in the relay; in 1956 he placed fifth and fourth, respectively.[2] In 1958 he was awarded the Holmenkollen medal, and in 1960 the Morgenbladet Gold Medal. A freelance sports broadcaster for NRK for 35 years, he was a pioneering color commentator of cross-country skiing events.
Brusveen at the 1960 Olympics | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 15 July 1927 | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 21 April 2021 (aged 93) | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Cross-country skiing | ||||||||||||||
| Club | Vingrom IL[1] | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
Brusveen had chronic asthmatic bronchitis and took up skiing to improve his condition. In 1952, he placed fifth in the Olympic trials and was selected as a reserve for the Olympic skiing team. He won the national 30 km title in 1953, 1957 and 1958, and around that time opened a sport shop in Lillehammer. Brusveen was originally selected as a substitute member for the 1960 Norwegian Olympic team, but performed well shortly before the Olympics, and was included in the main team upon personal recommendation from King Olav V of Norway. At the Olympics he won the 15 km race, beating Sixten Jernberg by 3 seconds at the finish, but lost by 0.8 seconds to Veikko Hakulinen in the last leg of the 4 × 10 km relay, despite having a 20-second lead at the start.[3]
After the 1960 Olympics Brusveen changed to biathlon, but failed to qualify for the 1964 Olympics by a small margin.[2] From the 1960s onwards he became a popular radio commentator of cross-country skiing events for Norsk Rikskringkasting.[3] He was a freelance color commentator for NRK for 35 years starting in 1963,[4] and labeled the first such in Norway.[5] He often collaborated with Bjørge Lillelien on live broadcasting of cross-country events. As a cross-country expert, his reporting style was pioneering at the time; situated somewhere out by the tracks, he commented on skiers' speed, technique, and look when they passed. His last assignment as a sports reporter was the winter season of 1997.[4]
Brusveen was awarded the Holmenkollen Medal in 1958, jointly with Inger Bjørnbakken,[6] and the Morgenbladet Gold Medal in 1960.[1] He was portrayed by Arvid Møller in 1965, in the book 3–2–1–Gå. Håkon Brusveen forteller til Arvid Møller.[4][7] On his 90th birthday in 2017, a Brusveen exhibition opened at the Norwegian Olympic Museum.[5][8]
Brusveen died at the age of 93 in Lillehammer on 21 April 2021.[9][1]
