Oddbjorn HAGEN

Two-sport winter medalist

Oddbjørn Hagen won the Nordic combined world championship in both 1934 and 1935. It would be another 66 years before another Nordic combined athlete won two world championships in a row. At the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Hagen earned three medals in fours days. On 10 February he skied the leadoff leg for Norway's 4x10km relay team. The Norwegians lost to Finland by only 20m, but they were far ahead of the third-place team. Two days later, Hagen took part in the 18km cross-country race, finishing second behind Erik-August Larsson of Sweden. This race also served as the first half of the Nordic combined event. Since Larsson was only a skier, Hagen took a lead of more than two minutes into the ski jump portion of the Nordic combined. Although his score was only the sixteenth best, Hagen achieved a clear victory and led a Norwegian sweep of the medals.