Calgary, 15 February 1988. Norwegian athlete Vegard ULVANG, 3rd, in action in the men's 30km mass start cross country skiing event held at Canmore. Credit: IOC Olympic Museum Collections/Jean-Paul MaederBorn: 10 October 1963
Birthplace: Kirkenes (Norway)
Nationality: Norway
Sport: Skiing
ATTENDANCE AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES
Calgary 1988
Albertville 1992
Lillehammer 1994
AWARDS
Olympic medals:
Gold: 3
Silver: 2
Bronze: 1
Other results:
World Championships
Gold : 2 (91, 93)
Silver : 2 (89, 93)
Bronze : 4 (87, 89, 91, 93)
The Man From the Arctic
Vegard Ulvang came from Kirkenes, far north of the Arctic Circle. An adventurer, in the year before the Olympics he climbed Mt. Denali in Alaska and spent 15 days skiing across Greenland in the footsteps of explorer Fridtjof Nansen. Ulvang had earned a bronze medal at 30km in 1988. At the Albertville Games, he moved up to the gold. Three days later he entered the 10km race. At the last minute, for the first time in his career, he decided to compete without wax on his skis. He finished strongly to earn a second gold medal. He added a silver medal in the combined pursuit and then a third gold medal as a member of Norway's 4x10km relay team.
