Gunde Svan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gunde Svan
Gunde Svan in 2019
Country	Sweden
Full name	Gunde Anders Svan
Born	(1962-01-12) 12 January 1962 (age 63) Dala-Järna, Sweden
Height	188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Spouse(s)	Marie Svan
Ski club	Dala-Järna IK
World Cup career
Seasons	10 – (1982–1991)
Individual wins	30
Team wins	9
Indiv. podiums	46
Team podiums	14
Indiv. starts	71
Team starts	14
Overall titles	5 – (1984–1986, 1988, 1989)
Medal record Men's cross-country skiing Representing  Sweden International nordic ski competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 4 1 1 World Championships 7 3 1 Total 11 4 2 Olympic Games Gold 1984 Sarajevo 15 km Gold 1984 Sarajevo 4 × 10 km relay Gold 1988 Calgary 50 km freestyle Gold 1988 Calgary 4 × 10 km relay Silver 1984 Sarajevo 50 km Bronze 1984  Sarajevo 30 km World Championships Gold 1985 Seefeld 30 km Gold 1985 Seefeld 50 km Gold 1987 Oberstdorf 4 × 10 km relay Gold 1989 Lahti 15 km freestyle Gold 1989 Lahti 50 km freestyle Gold 1989 Lahti 4 × 10 km relay Gold 1991 Val di Fiemme 30 km classical Silver 1991 Val di Fiemme 15 km freestyle Silver 1991 Val di Fiemme 50 km freestyle Silver 1991 Val di Fiemme 4 × 10 km relay Bronze 1985 Seefeld 4 × 10 km relay Junior World Championships Gold 1982 Murau 3 × 5 km relay Silver 1980 Örnsköldsvik 3 × 5 km relay Silver 1981 Schonach 3 × 5 km relay Bronze 1981 Schonach 15 km

Gunde Svan (born on January 12, 1962) is a famous Swedish athlete. He was a top cross-country skier and later a rallycross driver. During his skiing career, Gunde won many medals. He earned four gold, one silver, and one bronze medal at the Winter Olympics. He also won seven gold, three silver, and one bronze medal at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.

Gunde Svan was also very successful at the Holmenkollen ski festival. He won the 15 km race once in 1983. He also won the 50 km race twice, in 1986 and 1990. Because of his amazing achievements, he received the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal in 1984. In 1985, he was awarded the Holmenkollen medal. He also won the Jerring Award in both 1984 and 1985. Today, he is a board member of the International Ski Federation.

Gunde Svan's Life and Career

Gunde Svan was known for being very dedicated and paying close attention to details. For example, he used special, lighter material for his ski pole tips. This small change saved 4 grams of weight!

Olympic Skiing Success

Gunde had a fantastic time at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. He won two gold medals in the 15 km race and the 4 x 10 km relay. He also took home a bronze medal in the 30 km race. And he earned a silver medal in the 50 km event. At the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, he continued his winning streak. He won two more gold medals in the 50 km race and the relay. Overall, he won the World Championship gold six times. He also won the World Cup five times.

Rallycross Adventures

After his skiing career, Gunde tried a new sport: rallycross. He wanted to prove that his success wasn't just natural talent. He believed it was all about hard work and dedication. His famous saying was "nothing is impossible." He applied the same careful methods to his driving as he did to his skiing. He even built his own special machine to practice quick reactions for race starts. He won a gold medal in the Swedish Championship. He also earned a bronze medal in the FIA European Championship for Rallycross Drivers in 1995. He drove a Toyota Celica GT-Four car.

Life After Sports

After retiring from sports, Gunde Svan became a TV host. He hosted popular game shows like the Swedish versions of American Gladiators and Fort Boyard. He also hosted the Swedish national lottery show Bingolotto. He appeared in a short movie called En handelsresandes nöd. He also starred in many commercials. In one famous commercial, he pretended to be another skier, Thomas Wassberg.

In 2009, Gunde stepped down from his role as the Chief of Cross-Country for Sweden. This happened after some changes were made to the organization. In 2018, he took part in Let's Dance 2018, a dance competition on Swedish TV. He finished in third place with his dance partner, Jeanette Carlsson. Today, Gunde lives on his large forest farm. He works there with his son, Ferry Svan, and supports his children's careers.

Gunde Svan's Skiing Achievements

All of Gunde Svan's results come from the International Ski Federation (FIS).

Olympic Games Medals

Gunde Svan won a total of 6 medals at the Olympic Games.

• 4 Gold Medals
• 1 Silver Medal
• 1 Bronze Medal

World Championships Medals

Gunde Svan won a total of 11 medals at the World Championships.

• 7 Gold Medals
• 3 Silver Medals
• 1 Bronze Medal

World Cup Titles

Gunde Svan won the overall World Cup title five times. This means he was the best cross-country skier in the world for those seasons!

	Season
		Discipline
	1984	Overall
	1985	Overall
	1986	Overall
	1988	Overall
	1989	Overall

World Cup Podiums

Gunde Svan had an amazing 30 victories in individual World Cup races. He stood on the podium (finished in the top three) a total of 46 times! He also had 9 victories and 14 podium finishes in team races.

See also

In Spanish: Gunde Svan para niños