Ola Vigen Hattestad

Ola Vigen Hattestad
File:Ola Vigen Hattestad 2011-03-16.jpg
Born	(1982-04-19) 19 April 1982 Askim, Østfold, Norway
Ski club	Ørje IL
World Cup career
Seasons	2003-
Individual wins	13
Indiv. podiums	27
Medal record Men's cross country skiing Representing Norway Olympic Games 2014 Sochi Sprint World Championships 2009 Liberec Individual sprint 2009 Liberec Team sprint 2011 Holmenkollen Team sprint 2015 Falun Individual sprint

Ola Vigen Hattestad (born 19 April 1982) is a Norwegian cross country skier who has competed since 2002. He is the most successful cross country sprinter of all time. Competing in three Winter Olympics, he became Olympic champion in the individual sprint event at Sochi in 2014.

Career

Hattestad has 13 individual World Cup victories, all in the sprint events. He also won the 2007–08, 2008–09 and 2013-14 World Cup in the sprint discipline and finished third in the overall 2008–2009 world cup.

Hattestad won two gold medals at the 2009 World Championships, earning them in the individual and team sprint events. Having ranked sixth in the qualifying round, Hattestad progressed through the quarter finals and semi finals by winning each round, eventually taking the title ahead of fellow Norwegian Johan Kjølstad. The subsequent day, the two of them teamed up for the team sprint and won another gold medal.

He was initially not qualified for the Norwegian team at the Sochi Olympics, but this changed before the opening individual sprint, where he emerged victorious after the fastest prologue, and winning the quarterfinal, semifinal and final.

References

• Ola Vigen Hattestad at the International Ski Federation