Holmenkollen medal

The Holmenkollen medal is Norwegian skiing's highest award for competitors. It signifies top placings in international championships and other international events, including the Holmenkollen events.

The medal is mostly awarded to skiers in the Nordic events. Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden earned the medal in 1979 as one of only eleven non-Nordic skiers to ever earn this honor. Stein Eriksen, King Haakon VII, Boghild Niskin, Inger Bjørnbakken, Astrid Sandvik, King Olav V, Erik Håker, and Jacob Vaage, King Harald V, and Queen Sonja, all from Norway, are the others.

List of medalists

Medalist breakdown

* 156 medalists total as of 2007.
* Gender: 134 men, 22 women
* Skiing discipline: 62 cross country skiers, 27 nordic combined skiers, 26 ski jumpers, 15 multiple nordic skiing disciplines (competed in cross country, nordic combined, and/or ski jumping), 15 nordic skiers (discipline not listed on information found), and 11 non-nordic skiers total (listed above).
* Nationality: 105 Norwegians, 14 Finns, 9 Swedes, 8 Germans (combines East Germany, West Germany, and unified Germany), 8 Russians (includes the Soviet Union), 3 Austrians, 2 Japanese, 2 Italians, 2 Swiss, 1 Kazak, 1 Pole, and 1 Estonian.
* Holmenkollen victories: 227.
* Olympic medals (golds): 319 (134), including the medals of Eriksen and Stenmark.
* World championship medals (gold): 431 (202), including the medals of Bjørnbakken, Eriksen, and Stenmark.
* Two uncle-nephew combinations (Lauritz Bergendahl - 1910 and Lars Begendahl - 1939, and Harald Økern - 1924 and Olav Økern - 1950).
* Two sets of brothers (Hemmestveit - 1928, Ruud - 1937, 1947, 1948).
* One father-daughter combination (Martinsen - 1969, Skari - 2001).
* One father-son-grandson combination (Haakon VII - 1955, Olav V - 1968, Harald V - 2007)
* Four husband-wife teams (Alevtina Kolchina - 1963 & Pavel Kolchin - 1963, Toini Gustafsson - 1967 & Assar Rönnlund - 1968; Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi - 1989 & Harri Kirvesniemi - 1998; and King Harald V - 2007 & Queen Sonja - 2007).
* Three athletes who took the Olympic Oath (Falkanger - 1952, Ulvang - 1991, Ogiwara - 1995).
* Three future doping disqualifications (Yegorova - 1994, Lazutina - 1998, & H. Kirvesniemi - 1998).
* One future lighter of the Olympic Flame (Belmondo - 1997).

References

Norwegian

* [http://www.skiforeningen.no/holmenkollen/holmenkollen_historikk Holmenkollen medalists] - click Holmenkollmedaljen for downloadable pdf file.
* [http://www.holmenkollen-worldcup.no/index.aspx?article=92639&mid=92639 2007 Holmenkollen medalists announced] - Accessed March 18, 2007.
* [http://pub.tv2.no/nettavisen/sport/vinter/article937464.ece Holmenkollen medal presented to Estil and Hjelmeset] - Accessed March 21, 2007