| Birth Date: | 15 July 1927 |
| Birth Place: | Vingrom, Norway |
| Death Place: | Lillehammer |
| Sport: | Cross-country skiing |
| Club: | Vingrom IL |
| Show-Medals: | yes |
Håkon Brusveen (15 July 1927 – 21 April 2021) was a Norwegian cross-country skier. He competed in the individual 15 km and 4 × 10 km relay events at the 1956 and 1960 Olympics and won two medals in 1960: a gold in the 15 km and a silver in the relay; in 1956 he placed fifth and fourth, respectively.[1] In 1958 he was awarded the Holmenkollen medal, and in 1960 the Morgenbladet Gold Medal. A freelance sports broadcaster for NRK for 35 years, he was a pioneering color commentator of cross-country skiing events.
Brusveen had a chronic asthmatic bronchitis and took up skiing to improve his condition. In 1952 he placed fifth in the Olympic trials and was selected as a reserve for the Olympic skiing team. He won the national 30 km title in 1953, 1957 and 1958, and around that time opened a sport shop in Lillehammer. Brusveen was originally selected as a substitute member for the 1960 Norwegian Olympic team, but performed well shortly before the Olympics, and was included to the main team upon personal recommendation from King Olav V of Norway. At the Olympics he won the 15 km race, beating Sixten Jernberg by 3 seconds at the finish, but lost by 0.8 seconds to Veikko Hakulinen in the last leg of the 4 × 10 km relay, despite having a 20 second lead at the start.
After the 1960 Olympics Brusveen changed to biathlon, but failed to qualify for the 1964 Olympics by a small margin.[1] From the 1960s onwards he became a popular radio commentator of cross-country skiing events for Norsk Rikskringkasting. He was a freelance color commentator for NRK for 35 years starting in 1963, and labeled the first such in Norway.[2] He often collaborated with Bjørge Lillelien on live broadcasting of cross-country events. As a cross-country expert, his reporting style was pioneering at the time; situated somewhere out by the tracks, he commented on skiers' speed, technique, and look when they passed. His last assignment as a sports reporter was the winter season of 1997.[3]
Brusveen was awarded the Holmenkollen Medal in 1958, jointly with Inger Bjørnbakken,[4] and the Morgenbladet Gold Medal in 1960. He was portrayed by Arvid Møller in 1965, in the book 3–2–1–Gå. Håkon Brusveen forteller til Arvid Møller.[3] [5] On his 90th birthday in 2017, a Brusveen exhibition opened at the Norwegian Olympic Museum.[2] [6]
Brusveen died at the age of 93 in Lillehammer on 21 April 2021.[7] [8]
All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[9]
| Year | Age | 15 km | 30 km | 50 km | 4 × 10 km relay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | |||||
| 32 | |||||
| Year | Age | 15 km | 30 km | 50 km | 4 × 10 km relay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 20 | — | — | 4 | |
| 30 | 5 | 17 | — | 4 | |