Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet published in conjunction with Per Elofsson’s retirement their ranking of the top-ten Swedish skikings of all time. Where is Elofsson ranked? See the list!
The statistics stands for individual gold’s in Worlds/Olympics + relay gold in Worlds and Olympics.
The list:
1) Sixten Jernberg
5 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze + 3 relay gold. Captured four of five gold’s in the 50-kilometer race. 32 Swedish national championships. Won the Swedish Vasaloppet in 1955 and 1960. Raced 23 out of 24 possible World championship and Olympic races between 1954 and 1964. Medaled in 15 of these (65%) and was among the top six in 20 (87%). Fantastic!
2) Gunde Svan
7 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze + 4 relay gold. The all time Swedish skiking if we only look at medals. Won the overall World Cup four times between 1984-89 and also won six out of his seven individual gold’s in this period. Won the Holmenkollen fifty kilometer in 1986 and 1990. Raced a total of 615 races in his career between 1965-91 and won 342 (56 %) and was among the top three 489 times (80 %). Fantastic!
3) Thomas Wassberg
4 gold, 3 silver + 3 relay gold. Famous for racing with his hat hanging down on one side and frost in his beard, Wassberg might have been the most beloved Swedish skier of all time.
Captured gold on every distance, double gold in the 50-k (Oslo 1982 and Sarajevo 1984). Won the Holmenkollen 50-k three times and the Holmenkollen 15-k two times. Beat Mieto by 1/100 of a second for the gold in Lake Placid.
4) Assar Rönnlund
1 gold, 2 silver + 2 relay gold.
Breakthrough year in 1961. Won 21 out of 35 races that year including the 50-k in Lathi. Won the 15-k in the 1962 Worlds, two victories in the Holmenkollen 50-k. Won the Swedish Vasaloppet in 1968.
5) “Mora Nisse†Nils Karlsson
1 guld, 1 bronze
Won the Swedish Vasaloppet nine times. Won “the double†in Holmenkollen (18 and 50-k) in 1947. Won the 50-k gold in St. Moritz in 1948 by four minutes and 32 seconds.
6) Torgny Mogren
2 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze + 3 relay gold
His 1991 Worlds 50-k victory time in Val di Fiemme of 2.03.31,6 — was at that point the fastest ever skied in the 50-k. 52 Swedish championship gold’s, nine individual, seven in the relay and 36 team)
7) Per Elofsson
3 gold, 1 bronze
2001 was his best season. Won gold in classic and skate, the World Cup and the Holmenkollen 50-k. On the minus side: no relay gold, no Olympic gold and only three years at the top.
8) Sven Utterström
2 gold, 1 silver + 1 relay gold. Became a legend when he as the first Swede won the Holmenkollen 50-k in 1929
9) Sven-Åke Lundbäck
2 gold + 1 relay gold
Won Olympic gold in the 15-k in Sapporo 1972 by 32 seconds. Won the overall World Cup and Worlds gold in the 50-k and the relay in 1978. Won the Holmenkollen 50-k in 1976, Marcialonga and Vasaloppet in 1981.
10) Per-Erik Hedlund
1 gold + 1 relay gold
Won Vasaloppet in 1926 and 1928. Won Olympic 50-k gold in St. Moritz 1928 by 12 minutes and 53 seconds to second place. This was Sweden’s first ever Olympic skiing gold!
