Norway loses the legendary ‘Hjallis’

Norwegian sports fans were mourning the death on Wednesday of legendary speed skater Hjalmar “Hjallis” Andersen, who won three gold medals during the Winter Olympics in Oslo in 1952. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg claimed his death closed a “proud chapter” in Norway’s post-war history. Known by his nickname of “Hjallis,” he was a source of [...]

Artistic salute to Sonja Henie

Tributes got underway this weekend to Norwegian skating and film star Sonja Henie, widely viewed as Norway’s biggest international celebrity ever. She also left behind an impressive art collection, and that’s playing a big role in this year’s celebrations of what would have been Henie’s 100th birthday. Henie was born on April 8, 1912, but [...]

Skaters took over Mjøsa

More than 300 skaters covered long distances on Norway’s biggest lake, Mjøsa, over the weekend, at the Norway Skating Festival på Mjøsisen. Many participants spent 10 hours skating 200 kilometers on Saturday. Organizers told newspaper Aftenposten they would gladly have reduced the distance “if it hadn’t been for the crazy Dutch.” Fully 70 of the [...]

New skating star is born

A teenager from Asker, west of Oslo, took the skating world by storm over the weekend and is now enjoying plenty of accolades at home. Ida Njåtun appears to be taking it all in stride. Njåtun, age 19, seemed to come out of nowhere when she suddenly placed second in the Speed Skating World Cup’s [...]

Search ends for new skating coach

Norway’s speed skaters needed a new, diplomatic coach quickly, and skating officials found him in Bergen. A long-simmering drama around former coach Peter Mueller had reached its climax this week when Mueller was fired for alleged sexually harassment of a female skater, just months before the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Jarle Pedersen, who skated himself [...]