Sailing is the sport in which Norway has claimed the most gold medals, winning 17 gold and 31 medals in total.
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Norway first participated in the Olympics in the 1900 edition of the Games. The nation has sent athletes to compete in every event since then, barring the 1904 Games and the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Norway did not participate in the latter, having participated in the US-led Boycott. The nation’s national Olympic committee was created and recognised in 1900. While Norway did not participate in the 1904 Summer Olympics, the nation believes that two gold medal-winning wrestlers who represented the United States were Norwegian at the time of the event. Hence, the nation has called for the addition of medals won by Norwegian-American wrestlers Charles Ericksen and Bernhoff Hansen (immigrants to the US), into Norway’s tally. In 2012, historians from Norway gathered documents that proved Ericksen did not receive American citizenship until March 22, 1905.
They further gathered information that stated that Hansen never received American citizenship, having been registered as a “foreigner” till as late as 1925. The Norwegian Olympic Committee further filed a formal application for an amendment of the nationality of the wrestlers in the IOC’s medal database, in May 2013. Norway has hosted the Olympics on two occasions. The first instance was the 1952 Winter Olympics with the second being the 1994 Winter Olympics.
Norway enjoyed the most success in the 1920 Antwerp Summer Olympics. The nation recorded 13 gold medals, 9 silver medals and 9 bronze medals in the event having sent 194 athletes for the event. Norway finished sixth in the overall rankings for nations with regard to the number of medals won. Helge Lovland, Ole Lilloe-Olsen, Otto Olsen and Otto Olsen were the individual athletes who won gold medals. Erik Herseth, Sigurd Holter, Ingar Nielsen, Ole Sorensen, Petter Jamvold, Gunnar Jamvold and Claus Juell were a part of the sailing, men’s 10 metre class that won the premier medal. Henrik Ostervold, Jan Ostervold, Ole Ostervold, Hans Naess, Halvor Mogster, Halvor Birkeland, Rasmus Birkeland, Kristian Ostervold and Lauritz Christiansen comprised the men’s 12 metre class that won gold in the sailing event.
Johan Friele, Olaf Orvig, Arthur Allers, Christen Wiese, Martin Borthen, Egill Reimers, Kaspar Hassel, Thor Orvig and Erik Orvig helped Norway win gold in Sailing’s Men’s 12-metre class. Success in sailing further followed in the case of Men’s 6-metre class, Men’s 8-metre class. Andreas Brecke, Paal Kaasen and Ingolf Rod delivered success in the former. Carl Ringvold, Thorleif Holbye, Tellef Wagle, Kristoffer Olsen, Alf Jacobsen, Magnus Konow, Reidar Marthiniussen, Ragnar Vik and Thorleif Christoffersen were the heroes in the Men’s 8 metre class. Harald Natvig, Ole Lilloe-Olsen, Einar Liberg, Hans Nordvik, Thorstein Johansen and Einar Liberg were the achievers in shooting for the nation.
Magnus Konow is one of Norway’s most prolific Olympic participants, having won two gold medals and one silver over six participations between 1908 and 1948. Albert Helgerud is another popular athlete having led the Norway team to gold in the 300m free rifle event in 1912. Helgerud further took the individual 300m three positions rifle event. Ole Andreas Lilloe-Olsen was a part of the 1920 shooting team which achieved great success, with the shooter winning the first three of his five Olympic gold medals in Antwerp. He was a part of teams that won both the single and double shot running deer events. Lilloe-Olsen further recorded a gold in the double shot running deer individual event. The shooter nearly defended all three titles in the next edition in 1924. However, he could only win silver in the double shot team event. Lilloe-Olsen remains the only Norwegian to win five summer Olympic gold medals, having retired with a total of five gold and one silver.
The athlete’s teammates in the 1920 and 1924 teams, Otto Olsen and Einar Liberg further enjoyed great success in the Olympics. The former won four gold, three silver and one bronze for a total of eight medals. This is the most number of total medals won by any Norwegian at the summer Olympic Games. Liberg’s four gold, two silver and one bronze saw him finish close behind in the overall medal tally. Canoe sprint athlete Knut Holmann made the nation proud by winning three gold, two silver and one bronze medal between 1992 and 2000, contesting the K1 1000m and K1 500m events at three successive Games. Eirik Veras Larsen represents another prominent athlete in the canoe sprint events, winning two gold medals (2004, 2012) and one silver (2008) in the K1 1000m event.
Shooting represents the sport in which Norway has witnessed the most success so far when it comes to the summer Olympics. The nation has won 32 medals so far which includes 13 gold medals, 8 silver medals and 11 bronze medals. Sailing represents the second most successful sport, with the nation earning 31 medals on the back of 17 gold medals, 11 silver medals and 3 bronze medals.
