Odd Martinsen

Odd Martinsen
Martinsen in 1963
Personal information
Born20 December 1942 (1942-12-20) (age 81)
Drammen, Norway
Height182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight76 kg (168 lb)
Sport
SportCross-country skiing
ClubNittedal IL
Medal record
Men's cross-country skiing
Representing  Norway
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1968 Grenoble 4 × 10 km relay
Silver medal – second place 1968 Grenoble 30 km
Silver medal – second place 1976 Innsbruck 4 × 10 km relay
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1966 Oslo 4 × 10 km relay
Bronze medal – third place 1966 Oslo 15 km
Silver medal – second place 1970 Vysoké Tatry 15 km
Bronze medal – third place 1970 Vysoké Tatry 30 km
Bronze medal – third place 1974 Falun 4 × 10 km relay

Odd-Willy Martinsen (born 20 December 1942) is a retired Norwegian cross-country skier who competed during the 1960s and 1970s. He won three medals at the Winter Olympics, a gold in the 4 × 10 km relay (1968) and silvers in the 30 km (1968) and the 4 × 10 km relay (1976). Martinsen won five medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, a gold in the 4 × 10 km relay (1966), a silver in the 15 km (1970), and bronzes in the 15 km (1966), 30 km (1970), and 4 × 10 km relay (1974). At the 1969 Holmenkollen ski festival, he won the 15 km race. For his cross-country skiing successes in Norway and abroad, Martinsen received the Holmenkollen medal in 1969. Thirty-two years later, his daughter, Bente Skari, received the Holmenkollen medal, making them the only father-daughter combination to ever win the prestigious honor.[1]

Domestically Martinsen won Norwegian titles in the 15 km (1966, 1970), 30 km (1969, 1971) and 4 × 10 km relay (1970, 1972–1975, 1978). After retiring from competitions he became a skiing official and headed the FIS cross-country committee in 1986–2002. At the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, he served as chief of the cross-country skiing competitions. He also founded the ski firm Finor AS, which was later run by his daughter and son.[1]

  1. ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Odd Martinsen". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.