Jon Engen
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
Born(1957-03-09)March 9, 1957
Oslo, Norway
DiedApril 26, 2018(2018-04-26) (aged 61)
Sport
SportBiathlon, cross-country skiing

Jon Engen (March 9, 1957 – April 26, 2018) was an American skier.[1] He competed at the 1988 Winter Olympics, the 1992 Winter Olympics, and the 1994 Winter Olympics,[2] taking part in both biathlon, and cross-country skiing.[3]

Biography

Engen was born in Oslo, Norway in 1957,[1] and learned to ski from the age of four.[4] While in Norway, he won junior competition titles and achieved success at a national level.[4] After attending the University of Oslo and serving in the Norwegian Army, he moved to America in 1980.[1] Three years later, he graduated from the Montana State University,[1][3] where he had to study English as a foreign language.[4]

In the mid 1980s, Engen began training in an attempt to be selected for the American Olympic team for cross-country skiing, including roller skiing at night.[4] Engen eventually qualified for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada.[4] He then competed at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, before returning to the country of his birth for the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.[4] At the masters level, Engen won more than twenty World Cup medals, including twelve golds.[4]

After competing at three Winter Olympics,[5] Engen coached cross-country skiing in Sun Valley,[6] where he started a Nordic skiing programme.[1] Engen was also on the board of the US Ski & Snowboard Association, working for the association for a decade.[1][4] He was inducted into the Sun Valley Ski Hall of Fame,[3] and just prior to his death, he was awarded with the Al Merrill Nordic Award for services to Nordic skiing.[1]

Engen died in April 2018 from pancreatic cancer,[4] after being diagnosed with the illness in August 2017.[4] In 2019, the Boulder Mountain Tour was held in his memory.[4][7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Jon Engen". Olympedia. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  2. ↑ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Jon Engen Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 "Olympian Jon Engen Passes". US Ski and Snowboard. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "The enduring legacy of Jon Engen". Boulder Mountain Tour. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Sad News – Legendary US Olympian Jon Engen Passes Away". Ski Trax. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Olympian and Master Skier Jon Engen". Faster Skier. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Boulder Mountain Tour Held in Honor of Jon Engen". Eye on Sun Valley. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
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