Thomas Wassberg



























































Thomas Wassberg

Thomas Wassberg 2013-12-11 001.jpg
Wassberg in 2013

Full name Lars Thomas Wassberg
Born
(1956-03-27) 27 March 1956 (age 62)
Lennartsfors, Värmland, Sweden
Height 185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Ski club Åsarna IK
World Cup career
Seasons
1982–1988
Individual wins 6
Team wins 7
Indiv. podiums 18
Team podiums 10
Indiv. starts 44
Team starts 11
Overall titles 0 – (2nd in 1982, 1984 & 1987)

Thomas Lars Wassberg (born 27 March 1956) is a Swedish former cross-country skier. A fast skating style – push for every leg – is still called "Wassberg" after him in several countries. Wassberg's skiing idols when growing up were Sixten Jernberg and Oddvar Brå. He has described his mental strength and physical fitness as his greatest abilities as a skier, with his main weakness being a lack of sprinting ability.[1]


Wassberg won four Olympic gold medals: in 15 km (1980), 50 km (1984), and the 4×10 km relay (1984, 1988), and served as the Olympic flag bearer for Sweden in 1988.[2] At the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, he earned three golds (50 km: 1982, 30 km: 1987, and 4×10 km: 1987), three silvers (15 km: 1985, 1987; 50 km (1987), and one bronze (4×10 km: 1985). Additionally, Wassberg won the 50 km at the Holmenkollen ski festival three times (1980, 1982 and 1987) and the 15 km twice (1979, 1985).[3]


At the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, Wassberg edged out Finland's Juha Mieto by 0.01 seconds in the 15 km, the closest cross-country skiing race in Olympic history. Wassberg subsequently suggested to Mieto that the gold medal should be split between them "as one one-hundredth of a second is nothing in a 15-kilometer race". This incident led the International Ski Federation (FIS) to change their timing to the nearest one-tenth of a second. It also resulted in an apocryphal urban legend that Wassberg and Mieto's medals were cut in half and re-welded into half-gold, half-silver medals.[4] At the 1984 Winter Olympics, Wassberg beat out fellow Swede Gunde Svan by 4.9 seconds in the 50 km, the closest margin of victory ever in that event until Giorgio Di Centa edged out Yevgeny Dementyev by 0.8 seconds at the 2006 Winter Olympics though the 2006 event was a mass start event while the 1984 event was an interval start event.


He won the World Cup in 1977, and in 1980 was awarded the Holmenkollen medal. For some reason his teammate Sven-Åke Lundbäck did not receive the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal in 1978. In protest to this decision Wassberg refused to accept his Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal in 1980.[3][5]


According to Bengt Erik Bengtsson, Chief of the Nordic Office of the FIS from 1984 to 2004, Wassberg was the first to suggest in 1984 the splitting of the sport of cross country skiing into classic and freestyle disciplines. This was subsequently implemented by FIS in 1986.[6]


After retiring from competitions Wassberg worked as a sports reporter for Swedish Radio and a cross-country skiing coach for his club Åsarna IK. In 2009 he appeared on Swedish television in the show contests Mästarnas mästare, and in 2016 participated in Let's Dance 2016 which was broadcast on TV4.[7] In the 2010s he oversaw the preparation of ski tracks for Åsarna IK, organized bird hunting events for tourists and worked as a forester.[3]




Contents






  • 1 World Cup results


    • 1.1 World Cup standings


    • 1.2 Individual podiums


    • 1.3 Team podiums




  • 2 References


  • 3 External links





World Cup results


All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[8]



World Cup standings












































 Season 
  Age 
 Season standings
Overall
1982 26 2
1983 27 5
1984 28 2
1985 29 3
1986 30 15
1987 31 2
1988 32 19


Individual podiums



  • 6 victories

  • 18 podiums


































































































































































No.
 Season
 Date
 Location
 Race
 Level
 Place
1 1981–82 9 January 1982
West Germany Reit im Winkl, West Germany		 15 km Individual World Cup 3rd
2 16 January 1982
Switzerland Le Brassus, Switzerland		 15 km Individual World Cup 2nd
3 27 February 1982
Norway Oslo, Norway		 50 km Individual World Championships[1]
1st
4 12 March 1982
Sweden Falun, Sweden		 30 km Individual World Cup 3rd
5 19 March 1982
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic Štrbské Pleso, Czechoslovakia		 15 km Individual World Cup 2nd
6 1982–83 26 February 1983
Sweden Falun, Sweden		 30 km Individual World Cup 2nd
7 27 March 1983
Canada Labrador City, Canada		 30 km Individual World Cup 3rd
8 1983–84 19 February 1984
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Sarajevo, Yugoslavia		 50 km Individual Olympic Games[1]
1st
9 25 February 1984
Sweden Falun, Sweden		 30 km Individual World Cup 2nd
10 2 March 1984
Finland Lahti, Finland		 15 km Individual World Cup 2nd
11 1984–85 22 January 1985
Austria Seefeld, Austria		 15 km Individual World Championships[1]
 2nd
12 9 March 1985
Sweden Falun, Sweden		 30 km Individual World Cup 3rd
13 14 March 1985
Norway Oslo, Norway		 15 km Individual World Cup
1st
14 1985–86 8 March 1986
Sweden Falun, Sweden		 30 km Individual C World Cup
1st
15 1986–87 12 February 1987
West Germany Oberstdorf, West Germany		 30 km Individual C World Championships[1]
1st
16 15 February 1987
West Germany Oberstdorf, West Germany		 15 km Individual C World Championships[1]
 2nd
17 21 February 1987
West Germany Oberstdorf, West Germany		 50 km Individual F World Championships[1]
 2nd
18 21 March 1987
Norway Oslo, Norway		 50 km Individual C World Cup
1st


Team podiums



  • 7 victories

  • 10 podiums












































































































No.
 Season
 Date
 Location
 Race
 Level
 Place
 Teammate(s)
1 1983–84 16 February 1984
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Sarajevo, Yugoslavia		 4 x 10 km Relay Olympic Games[1]
 1st
Kohlberg / Ottosson / Svan
2 26 February 1984
Sweden Falun, Sweden		 4 x 10 km Relay World Cup 1st
Östlund / Ottosson / Svan
3  1984–85  24 January 1985
Austria Seefeld, Austria		 4 x 10 km Relay World Championships[1]
 3rd
Östlund / Eriksson / Svan
4 10 March 1985
Sweden Falun, Sweden		 4 x 10 km Relay World Cup 2nd
Östlund / Mogren / Svan
5 17 March 1985
Norway Oslo, Norway		 4 x 10 km Relay World Cup 1st
Eriksson / Danielsson / Svan
6  1985–86  13 March 1986
Norway Oslo, Norway		 4 x 10 km Relay F World Cup 3rd
Majbäck / Håland / Danielsson
7 1986–87 17 February 1987
West Germany Oberstdorf, West Germany		 4 x 10 km Relay F World Championships[1]
 1st
Östlund / Svan / Mogren
8 8 March 1987
Sweden Falun, Sweden		 4 x 10 km Relay C World Cup 1st
Östlund / Mogren / Majbäck
9 19 March 1987
Norway Oslo, Norway		 4 x 10 km Relay C World Cup 1st
Ottosson / Mogren / Eriksson
10 1987–88 24 February 1988
Canada Calgary, Canada		 4 x 10 km Relay F Olympic Games[1]
 1st
Ottosson / Svan / Mogren

.mw-parser-output .refbegin{font-size:90%;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul{list-style-type:none;margin-left:0}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul>li,.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>dl>dd{margin-left:0;padding-left:3.2em;text-indent:-3.2em;list-style:none}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-100{font-size:100%}

Note: 1 Until the 1999 World Championships and the 1994 Winter Olympics, World Championship and Olympic races were included in the World Cup scoring system.




References





  1. ^ "Cross Country Legend Thomas Wassberg (SWE) in Interview". Fischer Sports. 14 November 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2015..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  2. ^ Sweden. sports-reference.com


  3. ^ abc Thomas Wassberg. sports-reference.com


  4. ^ Perman, Cindy (2013). New York Curiosities, 2nd: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 151. ISBN 9780762774968.


  5. ^ Thomas Wassberg. Swedish Olympic Committee


  6. ^ Bengt Erik Bengtsson (2010). "Cross country skating: how it started". Retrieved 27 March 2016.


  7. ^ "Deltagare i Let's dance – tv4.se". tv4.se. Retrieved 1 April 2016.


  8. ^ "Athlete : WASSBERG Thomas". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Retrieved 11 February 2018.




External links








  • Thomas Wassberg at the International Ski Federation


  • Holmenkollen medalists – click Holmenkollmedaljen for downloadable pdf file (in Norwegian)


  • Holmenkollen winners since 1892 – click Vinnere for downloadable pdf file (in Norwegian)

  • Wassberg tar emot Bragdguldet – efter 33 år













Preceded by
Malmö FF
Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal
1980
 Succeeded by
Annichen Kringstad



-

Popular posts from this blog

Westermarck effect

Image
This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations . Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (November 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) The Westermarck effect , or reverse sexual imprinting, is a hypothetical psychological effect through which people who live in close domestic proximity during the first few years of their lives become desensitized to sexual attraction. This phenomenon was first hypothesized by Finnish anthropologist Edvard Westermarck in his book The History of Human Marriage (1891) as one explanation for the incest taboo. Observations interpreted as evidence for the Westermarck effect have since been made in many places and cultures, including in the Israeli kibbutz system, and the Chinese Shim-pua marriage customs, as well as in biologically-related families. In the case of the Israeli kibbutzim (collective farms), children...
Read more

Orthodox Church in America

Image
For other uses, see Orthodox Church in America (disambiguation). Orthodox Church in America Recognition Autocephaly recognized by the Russian (since 1970), Bulgarian, Georgian, Polish, and Czech and Slovak Churches [1] Primate Metropolitan Tikhon (Mollard) [2] Headquarters Oyster Bay Cove, New York, United States Territory United States, Canada Possessions Mexico, formerly Australia and South America Language English, Church Slavonic, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Koine Greek, Romanian, Bulgarian, Albanian Members 1 million adherents, [3] 90,000 (U.S. only) [a] [5] Bishops 14 [5] Parishes 700 [5] Monasteries 20 [5] Website oca.org Part of a series on the Eastern Orthodox Church Mosaic of Christ Pantocrator, Hagia Sophia Overview Structure Theology (History of theology) Liturgy Church history Holy Mysteries View of salvation View of Mary View of icons Background Crucifixion / Resurrection / Asc...
Read more

Italian cuisine

Image
"Italian restaurant" redirects here. For the television series, see Italian Restaurant. Some typical Italian gastronomic products in a window display in Imola Pizza is one of the world's most popular foods and a common fast food item Part of a series on the Culture of Italy History People Languages Traditions Mythology and folklore Mythology folklore Cuisine Festivals Religion Art Literature Music and performing arts Music Media Television Cinema Sport Monuments World Heritage Sites Symbols Flag Coat of arms Italy portal v t e Italian cuisine History Ancient Roman cuisine Medieval cuisine Early modern cuisine Contemporary cuisine Regional cuisines Apulian cuisine Lombard cuisine Neapolitan cuisine Roman cuisine Sicilian cuisine Venetian cuisine Cuisine of Abruzzo Cuisine of Sardinia Lists Chefs Dishes Pas...
Read more