Espen Bredesen (born 2 February 1968) is a Norwegian former ski jumper.
Career
At World Cup level he won gold and silver medals at the 1994 Winter Olympics at Lillehammer.
At the 1992 Winter Olympics, he performed badly, coming last in the normal hill and 57th out of 59 on the large hill. He had converted from the parallel technique to the V-style just a month previously. His poor performance gave him the nickname "Espen the Eagle", based on British ski jumper Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards.[1]
At the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1993 in Falun, he won gold medals both in the team large hill and the individual large hill events. In the 1993/94 season, he won the Four Hills Tournament. He won gold and silver medals at the 1994 Winter Olympics at Lillehammer, and won a silver medal at the FIS Ski-Flying World Championships 1994 in Planica. Bredesen twice beat the world ski flying record with jumps of 209 meters (1994) and 210 meters (1997).
Bredesen also won the ski jumping competition at the Holmenkollen ski festival in 1993. He was awarded the Holmenkollen medal in 1994 (shared with Ljubov Egorova and Vladimir Smirnov).
World Cup
Standings
| Season | Overall | 4H | SF | NT | JP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989/90 | — | — | — | N/A | N/A |
| 1990/91 | 34 | 21 | 23 | N/A | N/A |
| 1991/92 | 34 | 26 | 18 | N/A | N/A |
| 1992/93 | 5 | 33 | 5 | N/A | N/A |
| 1993/94 |  | |  | N/A | N/A |
| 1994/95 | 15 | 21 | 13 | N/A | N/A |
| 1995/96 | 13 | 21 | 10 | N/A | 13 |
| 1996/97 | 16 | 20 | 11 | 31 | 19 |
| 1997/98 | 43 | 45 | 26 | — | 55 |
| 1998/99 | 101 | — | — | 55 | 99 |
| 1999/00 | 79 | — | — | — | 76 |
Wins
| No. | Season | Date | Location | Hill | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1992/93 | 11 March 1993 |  Lillehammer | Lysgårdsbakken K120 | LH |
| 2 | 14 March 1993 | Oslo | Holmenkollbakken K110 | LH | |
| 3 | 28 March 1993 |  Planica | Bloudkova velikanka K120 | LH | |
| 4 | 1993/94 | 11 December 1993 | Planica | Srednja Bloudkova K90 | NH |
| 5 | 1 January 1994 |  Garmisch-Partenkirchen | Große Olympiaschanze K107 | LH | |
| 6 | 6 January 1994 |  Bischofshofen | Paul-Ausserleitner-Schanze K120 | LH | |
| 7 | 15 January 1994 |  Liberec | Ještěd B K120 | LH | |
| 8 | 1994/95 | 5 February 1995 |  Falun | Lugnet K90 (night) | NH |
Ski jumping world record
| Date | Hill | Location | Metres | Feet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 March 1994 | Velikanka bratov Gorišek K185 | Planica, Slovenia | 209 | 686 |
| 22 March 1997 | Velikanka bratov Gorišek K185 | Planica, Slovenia | 210 | 689 |
World record statement
Bredesen's statement after his first world record in Planica 1994 when he jumped 209m:
Without any doubt this is my greatest life and career achievement. Nothing can compare with this world record. Not even my Olympic or world championships gold. Now I know how birds feel when they fly in the air.
References
- Espen Bredesen at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation
- Holmenkollen medalists - click Holmenkollmedaljen for downloadable pdf file (in Norwegian)
- Holmenkollen winners since 1892 - click Vinnere for downloadable pdf file (in Norwegian)
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