Egil Gjelland
Encyclopedia
Egil Gjelland is a former Norwegian
biathlete
. He is olympic champion in the biathlon relay from the 2002 Winter Olympics
in Salt Lake City.
Egil Gjelland grew up in Voss, the home of many world class biathletes, and started doing biathlon at the age of 15. He first entered the national team in 1996.
Gjelland's strength is in shooting. His greatest triumphs have come on Norway's relay team, where he was a regular feature for several years, thanks to his ability to keep his cool and deliver faultless shooting. In the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, he won the gold medal on the relay, together with Ole Einar Bjørndalen
, Halvard Hanevold
and Frode Andresen
. In the Biathlon World Championship 2005
in Hochfilzen
, Gjelland again helped win the relay, Norway's first relay-gold in the world championships for 38 years. He won one race in the Biathlon World Cup
, the pursuit in Östersund
on 17 December 2004.
Egil Gjelland is a carpenter by trade. He married fellow biathlete Ann-Elen Skjelbreid
in 2002. They have one daughter, Kristi (b. 2004). They live on her home farm, Skjelbreid, in Fusa
in western Norway.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
biathlete
Biathlon
Biathlon is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. However, biathlon usually refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting...
. He is olympic champion in the biathlon relay from the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
in Salt Lake City.
Egil Gjelland grew up in Voss, the home of many world class biathletes, and started doing biathlon at the age of 15. He first entered the national team in 1996.
Gjelland's strength is in shooting. His greatest triumphs have come on Norway's relay team, where he was a regular feature for several years, thanks to his ability to keep his cool and deliver faultless shooting. In the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, he won the gold medal on the relay, together with Ole Einar Bjørndalen
Ole Einar Bjørndalen
Ole Einar Bjørndalen is a Norwegian professional biathlete. He is often regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time. In 1992, he won his first career medal at the junior world championships. A year later In 1993, after winning a record three junior world championship titles, Bjørndalen...
, Halvard Hanevold
Halvard Hanevold
Halvard Hanevold , is a Norwegian biathlete and Olympic champion. Hanevold won the bronze medal in the men's 20 km individual and the silver medal in the men's 10 km sprint at the 2006 Winter Olympics.He also medaled in biathlon events at the 1998 Winter Olympics and the 2002 Winter...
and Frode Andresen
Frode Andresen
Frode Andresen is a Norwegian biathlete and a cross-country skier. He now resides in Hønefoss, and trains with the Ringkollen Skiklubb.-Early life:...
. In the Biathlon World Championship 2005
Biathlon World Championship 2005
The 40th Biathlon World Championships were held in 2005 for the third time in Hochfilzen, Austria from 4 to 13 March. Approximately 80,000 spectators went to see the competitions...
in Hochfilzen
Hochfilzen
Hochfilzen is a small village in Tyrol, Austria, in the Kitzbühel district. It is located at , in the Pillersee valley 5km west of Fieberbrunn. Population was 1,109 in 2001.It is a popular winter sports resort, especially for cross country skiing...
, Gjelland again helped win the relay, Norway's first relay-gold in the world championships for 38 years. He won one race in the Biathlon World Cup
Biathlon World Cup
The Biathlon World Cup has been held since the winter seasons of 1977/78 and 1982/83, for men and women, respectively ....
, the pursuit in Östersund
Östersund
Östersund is an urban area in Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth largest lake, Storsjön, opposite the island Frösön, and is the only city in Jämtland. Östersund is the...
on 17 December 2004.
Egil Gjelland is a carpenter by trade. He married fellow biathlete Ann-Elen Skjelbreid
Ann-Elen Skjelbreid
Ann-Elen Skjelbreid is a former Norwegian biathlete from the Hålandsdal area in the Norwegian municipality of Fusa. She is the sister of Liv Grete Skjelbreid Poirée and is married with fellow Norwegian biathlete Egil Gjelland...
in 2002. They have one daughter, Kristi (b. 2004). They live on her home farm, Skjelbreid, in Fusa
Fusa
Fusa is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. Fusa was separated from Os in 1856. Hålandsdal and Strandvik were separated from Fusa on 1 January 1903, but they were both again merged with Fusa on 1 January 1964....
in western Norway.
Accomplishments
- Winter Olympics: Gold medal on relay, 2002; Silver medal on relay 1998.
- World ChampionshipsBiathlon World ChampionshipsThe first Biathlon World Championships was held in 1958, with individual and team contests for men. The number of events has grown significantly over the years. Beginning in 1984, women biathletes had their own World Championships, and finally, from 1989, both genders have been participating in...
: Gold medal on relay, 2005; three times silver medal on relay. - Biathlon World CupBiathlon World CupThe Biathlon World Cup has been held since the winter seasons of 1977/78 and 1982/83, for men and women, respectively ....
individual races: One gold medal (2004), two silver, four bronze - Biathlon World Cup overall, best season: 7th place 2000/01