Norwegian ski jumper
Espen Bredesen (born 2 February 1968) is a Norwegian former ski jumper .
At World Cup level he won gold and silver medals at the 1994 Winter Olympics at Lillehammer .
At the 1992 Winter Olympics , he performed badly, coming last in the normal hill and 57th out of 59 on the large hill. He had converted from the parallel technique to the V-style just a month previously. His poor performance gave him the nickname "Espen the Eagle", based on British ski jumper Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards .[1]
At the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1993 in Falun , he won gold medals both in the team large hill and the individual large hill events. In the 1993/94 season, he won the Four Hills Tournament . He won gold and silver medals at the 1994 Winter Olympics at Lillehammer , and won a silver medal at the FIS Ski-Flying World Championships 1994 in Planica . Bredesen twice beat the world ski flying record with jumps of 209 meters (1994) and 210 meters (1997).
Bredesen also won the ski jumping competition at the Holmenkollen ski festival in 1993. He was awarded the Holmenkollen medal in 1994 (shared with Ljubov Egorova and Vladimir Smirnov ).
Ski jumping world record [ edit ]
Bredesen's statement after his first world record in Planica 1994 when he jumped 209m:
Without any doubt this is my greatest life and career achievement. Nothing can compare with this world record. Not even my Olympic or world championships gold. Now I know how birds feel when they fly in the air.
1982: Norway
1984: Finland
1985: Finland
1987: Finland
1989: Finland
1991: Austria
1993: Norway
1995: Finland
1997: Finland
1999: Germany
2001: Germany
2003: Finland
2005: Austria
2007: Austria
2009: Austria
2011: Austria
2013: Austria
2015: Norway
2017: Poland
2019: Germany
2021: Germany
2023: Slovenia
Until 1900 1900–1950
1901: Aksel Refstad (NOR)
1903: Karl Hovelsen (NOR)
1904: Harald Smith (NOR)
1905: Jonas Holmen (NOR)
1907: Per Bakken
1908: Einar Kristiansen (NOR)
1909: Thorvald Hansen
1910: Lauritz Bergendahl
1911: Otto Tangen (NOR), Knut Holst (NOR)
1912: Olav Bjaaland (NOR)
1914: Johan Kristoffersen (NOR)
1915: Sverre Østbye (NOR)
1916: Lars Høgvold (NOR)
1918: Hassa Horn (NOR), Jørgen Hansen (NOR)
1919: Thorleif Haug (NOR), Otto Aasen (NOR)
1923: Thoralf Strømstad (NOR)
1924: Harald Økern (NOR), Johan Grøttumsbråten (NOR)
1925: Einar Landvik (NOR)
1926: Jacob Tullin Thams
1927: Hagbart Haakonsen (NOR), Einar Lindboe (NOR)
1928: Torjus Hemmestveit (NOR), Mikkjel Hemmestveit (NOR)
1931: Hans Vinjarengen (NOR), Ole Stenen (NOR)
1934: Oddbjørn Hagen (NOR)
1935: Arne Rustadstuen (NOR)
1937: Olaf Hoffsbakken (NOR), Birger Ruud (NOR), Martin P. Vangsli (NOR)
1938: Reidar Andersen (NOR), Johan R. Henriksen (NOR)
1939: Sven Selånger (SWE), Lars Bergendahl (NOR), Trygve Brodahl (NOR)
1940: Oscar Gjøslien (NOR), Annar Ryen (NOR)
1947: Elling Rønes (NOR)
1948: Asbjørn Ruud (NOR)
1949: Sigmund Ruud (NOR)
1950: Olav Økern (NOR)
1951–2000
1951: Simon Slåttvik (NOR)
1952: Stein Eriksen (NOR), Torbjørn Falkanger (NOR), Heikki Hasu (FIN), Nils Karlsson (SWE)
1953: Magnar Estenstad (NOR)
1954: Martin Stokken (NOR)
1955: Haakon VII (NOR), Hallgeir Brenden (NOR), Veikko Hakulinen (FIN), Sverre Stenersen (NOR)
1956: Borghild Niskin (NOR), Arnfinn Bergmann (NOR), Arne Hoel (NOR)
1957: Eero Kolehmainen (FIN)
1958: Inger Bjørnbakken (NOR), Håkon Brusveen (NOR)
1959: Gunder Gundersen (NOR)
1960: Helmut Recknagel (GDR), Sixten Jernberg (SWE), Sverre Stensheim (NOR), Tormod Knutsen (NOR)
1961: Harald Grønningen (NOR)
1962: Toralf Engan (NOR)
1963: Alevtina Kolchina (URS), Pavel Kolchin (URS), Astrid Sandvik (NOR), Torbjørn Yggeseth (NOR)
1964: Veikko Kankkonen (FIN), Eero Mäntyranta (FIN), Georg Thoma (FRG), Halvor Næs (NOR)
1965: Arto Tiainen (FIN), Bengt Eriksson (SWE), Arne Larsen (NOR)
1967: Toini Gustafsson (SWE), Ole Ellefsæter (NOR)
1968: Olav V (NOR), Assar Rönnlund (SWE), Gjermund Eggen (NOR), Bjørn Wirkola (NOR)
1969: Odd Martinsen (NOR)
1970: Pål Tyldum (NOR)
1971: Marjatta Kajosmaa (FIN), Berit Mørdre (NOR), Reidar Hjermstad (NOR)
1972: Rauno Miettinen (FIN), Magne Myrmo (NOR)
1973: Einar Bergsland (NOR), Ingolf Mork (NOR), Franz Keller (FRG)
1974: Juha Mieto (FIN)
1975: Gerhard Grimmer (GDR), Oddvar Brå (NOR), Ivar Formo (NOR)
1976: Ulrich Wehling (GDR)
1977: Helena Takalo (FIN), Hilkka Kuntola (FIN), Walter Steiner (SUI)
1979: Ingemar Stenmark (SWE), Erik Håker (NOR), Raisa Smetanina (URS)
1980: Thomas Wassberg (SWE)
1981: Johan Sætre (NOR)
1983: Berit Aunli (NOR), Tom Sandberg (NOR)
1984: Lars Erik Eriksen (NOR), Jakob Vaage (NOR), Armin Kogler (AUT)
1985: Anette Bøe (NOR), Per Bergerud (NOR), Gunde Svan (SWE)
1986: Brit Pettersen (NOR)
1987: Matti Nykänen (FIN), Hermann Weinbuch (FRG)
1989: Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi (FIN)
1991: Vegard Ulvang (NOR), Trond Einar Elden (NOR), Ernst Vettori (AUT), Jens Weißflog (GER)
1992: Yelena Välbe (RUS)
1993: Emil Kvanlid (NOR)
1994: Lyubov Yegorova (RUS), Vladimir Smirnov (KAZ), Espen Bredesen (NOR)
1995: Kenji Ogiwara (JPN)
1996: Manuela Di Centa (ITA)
1997: Bjarte Engen Vik (NOR), Stefania Belmondo (ITA), Bjørn Dæhlie (NOR)
1998: Fred Børre Lundberg (NOR), Larisa Lazutina (RUS), Alexey Prokurorov (RUS), Harri Kirvesniemi (FIN)
1999: Kazuyoshi Funaki (JPN)
Since 2001
2001: Adam Małysz (POL), Bente Skari (NOR), Thomas Alsgaard (NOR)
2003: Felix Gottwald (AUT), Ronny Ackermann (GER)
2004: Yuliya Chepalova (RUS)
2005: Andrus Veerpalu (EST)
2007: Frode Estil (NOR), Odd-Bjørn Hjelmeset (NOR), Harald V (NOR), Sonja (NOR), Simon Ammann (SUI)
2010: Marit Bjørgen (NOR)
2011: Ole Einar Bjørndalen (NOR), Michael Greis (GER), Andrea Henkel (GER), Janne Ahonen (FIN)
2012: Magdalena Neuner (GER), Emil Hegle Svendsen (NOR)
2013: Tora Berger (NOR), Martin Fourcade (FRA), Therese Johaug (NOR), Gregor Schlierenzauer (AUT)
2014: Magnus Moan (NOR), Eric Frenzel (GER), Thomas Morgenstern (AUT), Darya Domracheva (BLR)
2015: Eldar Rønning (NOR), Anders Bardal (NOR), Anette Sagen (NOR), Kamil Stoch (POL)
2016: Noriaki Kasai (JPN), Tarjei Bø (NOR)
2017: Marie Dorin Habert (FRA), Sara Takanashi (JPN)
2018: Charlotte Kalla (SWE), Princess Astrid (NOR), Hannu Manninen (FIN), Kaisa Mäkäräinen (FIN)
2021: Maren Lundby (NOR), Johannes Thingnes Bø (NOR), Dario Cologna (SWI), Johannes Rydzek (GER)
2022: Tiril Eckhoff (NOR), Marte Olsbu Røiseland (NOR), Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (NOR), Jørgen Graabak (NOR)
2023: Maiken Caspersen Falla (NOR), Stefan Kraft (AUT)
2024: Jessie Diggins (USA), Simen Hegstad Krüger (NOR)