Martin Stokken, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

Martin Stokken

cross-country skier

Date of Birth: 16-Jan-1923

Place of Birth: Trondheim, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway

Date of Death: 25-Mar-1984

Profession: long-distance runner, cross-country skier, biathlon coach, cross-country skiing coach

Nationality: Norway

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn


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About Martin Stokken

  • Martin Stokken (16 January 1923 – 25 March 1984) was a Norwegian cross-country skier who competed at the 1948 and 1952 Summer and 1952 and 1956 Winter Olympics.
  • At the Summer Olympics he ran 5000 m and 10,000 m, finishing fourth in the latter event in 1948.
  • At the Winter Games he won a silver medal in the 4×10 km relay in 1952, placing fourth in 1956.
  • His best individual result was six place in the 18 km in 1952 and in 15 km in 1956.
  • At the world skiing championships Stokken won a bronze medal in the 4×10 km relay event in 1950 and placed fourth over 50 km in 1954.
  • In 1954 he also won the 50 km race at the Holmenkollen ski festival and won the Holmenkollen medal.
  • Earlier in 1949 he was awarded the Egebergs Ærespris.Stokken was born as the youngest of four siblings on a desolate farm.
  • In 1934 the farm burned down and his father died soon after that.
  • In his teens Stokken worked as a shepherd, and earned enough money to buy a pair of decent skis for his training.
  • In 1939 he and his mother moved to Fåvang, where he joined the local ski club.
  • During World War II, in 1943, he fled to Sweden and joined the Norwegian resistance movement.
  • He returned to Norway in 1945, and in 1946 won the national title and placed eighth in 10,000 m running at the 1946 European Championships.
  • From then on and until 1951 he was the best Norwegian 5000 m and 10,000 m runner.
  • He also excelled in the 3000 m steeplechase, placing fourth at the 1950 European Championships.
  • He retired from athletics in 1955, after setting his personal best over 5000 m, and having won 19 national titles over his athletic career.In the late 1940s Stokken trained in cross-country skiing merely to stay fit in winters, but since 1951 he began competing and was included into the national team.
  • Besides his international achievements in skiing, between 1951 and 1957 he won five national titles.
  • He retired in 1960 after winning the Birkebeiner race from Rena to Lillehammer.
  • In retirement he continued working as police officer in Trondheim (he held that position from 1950 to 1980) and eventually became a skiing and biathlon coach.

Read more at Wikipedia

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