Tormod Knutsen is a former Norwegian

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...

 nordic combined

Nordic combined

The Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in both cross-country skiing and ski jumping.- History :While Norwegian soldiers are known to have been competing in Nordic skiing since the 19th century, the first major competition in Nordic combined was held in 1892 in Oslo at the...

 athlete. He was born in Eidsvoll

Eidsvoll

is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sundet.-Name:...

. Already as a 16 year old he became named to Hovedlandsrennet, and two years later Norwegian junior champion in Ski jumping

Ski jumping

Ski jumping is a sport in which skiers go down a take-off ramp, jump and attempt to land as far as possible down the hill below. In addition to the length of the jump, judges give points for style. The skis used for ski jumping are wide and long...

. From the season 1954/55 he started with Nordic combined. He participated in the Olympic games three times, with more and more success at the 1956 Winter Olympics

1956 Winter Olympics

The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. This celebration of the Games was held from 26 January to 5 February 1956. Cortina, which had originally been awarded the 1944 Winter Olympics, beat out...

 in Cortina d'Ampezzo

Cortina d'Ampezzo

Cortina d'Ampezzo is a town and comune in the southern Alps located in Veneto, a region in Northern Italy. Located in the heart of the Dolomites in an alpine valley, it is a popular winter sport resort known for its ski-ranges, scenery, accommodations, shops and après-ski scene...

 he finished sixth, and at the 1960 Winter Olympics

1960 Winter Olympics

The 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event held between February 18 and 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California, United States. In 1955 at the 50th IOC meeting, the organizing committee made the surprise choice to award Squaw Valley as...

 in Squaw Valley he finished second place behind the German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 Georg Thoma

Georg Thoma

Georg Thoma is a former German nordic combined skier. He won two Winter Olympic medals in the Nordic combined with gold in 1960 and bronze in 1964....

. Prior to the 1961-2 season, the former Olympic champion Sverre Stenersen

Sverre Stenersen

Sverre Stenersen was a Norwegian Nordic combined skier who dominated the event throughout the 1950s. His biggest triumphs were winning individual golds both at the 1956 Winter Olympics and the 1954 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships...

 was hired as national team coach, with another Nordic combined giant Gunder Gundersen

Gunder Gundersen

Gunder Gundersen was a Norwegian nordic combined skier and sports official. During his active career he won two individual FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medals and the Holmenkollen ski festival three times Gunder Gundersen (September 12, 1930 — June 2, 2005) was a Norwegian nordic combined...

 as team principal. This effort obviously paid off with Knutsen's Olympic gold medal in Innsbruck

Innsbruck

- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...

.

Knutsen also won the Nordic combined event at the 1957 Holmenkollen ski festival

Holmenkollen ski festival

The Holmenkollen Ski Festival is a traditional annual Nordic skiing event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic. It takes place in March and has been arranged every year since 1892, except for 1898 and during World War II...

. Three years later, Knutsen earned the Holmenkollen medal

Holmenkollen medal

The Holmenkollen medal is Norwegian skiing's highest award for competitors. It signifies top placings in international championships and other international events, including the Holmenkollen events....

 (Shared with Helmut Recknagel

Helmut Recknagel

Helmut Recknagel is a former East German ski jumper who was active in the late 1950s and early 1960s.Recknagel was born in Steinbach-Hallenberg, Thuringia....

, Sixten Jernberg

Sixten Jernberg

Eddy Sixten Jernberg is a retired Swedish cross country skier....

, and Sverre Stensheim

Sverre Stensheim

Sverre Stensheim is a former Norwegian cross country skier.He was born in Oppdal.He won the 50 km at the Holmenkollen ski festival three straight years...

).