Athlete profile: Bjarte Engen Vik

Posted: Tue February 3, 1998 at 5:00 PM ET

Athlete notes

Vik looks to continue Norway's pre-eminence in nordic combined -- the bronze medalist in Lillehammer and the 1997 world silver medalist, Vik's first and second in the opening World Cups of the year show he may be prime for gold...like most of the Norwegian athletes who won medals in Lillehammer, reminiscing about the 1994 Olympics always evokes sweet memories for Vik..."It was one of the greatest experiences you can have as an athlete," said the bronze medal winner. "I will always remember it because I was at the top of my form"...he was most thrilled about the individual result for several reasons...first, the crowd -- "I started the cross-country part in third place and there were the most spectators ever. I couldn't (even) hear my trainer"...second, Vik's compatriot and childhood friend Fred Bøerre Lundberg won the gold -- "It was a good feeling ... nothing could be better than (being) on the podium with Fred Bøerre and 30,000 Norwegians"...third, Norwegians tend to emphasize the individual Events more than the team competition...Vik was "a little disappointed after the team silver. It was a boring competition because Japan was so far ahead"...Japan's advantage in the nordic combined stemmed from its overall superiority in the jumping portion...but Vik is an anomaly among Norway's nordic combined skiiers -- "I have always done better in jumping than cross-country"...he attributes his advantage over the other Norwegians in ski jumping to "my small physique" and attitude -- "I feel tougher jumping. It's more cool"...Vik earned his medals in Lillehammer despite suffering from an injured right shoulder...he separated it in 1990, but did not have it operated on until after the Lillehammer Olympics...he has also suffered from a broken arm on three occasions, and a broken leg and rib...while Lillehammer was Vik's "greatest experience," it was not "my best competition"... "In Lillehammer, Fred Bøerre was so far ahead that I could not fight for the gold. But in last year's World Championships, I had a chance at gold"...competing in Trondheim, where he currently resides, Vik finished second to Japan's Kenji Ogiwara, whom he describes as "a great jumper, a good skiier, and a very nice man"...Ogiwara started over 30 seconds ahead of Vik entering the cross-country portion, but Vik took the lead five km into the race, before a spirited Ogiwara overtook Vik at the 12-km point to win handily...afterwards, Vik admitted that, "Kenji is strong when it comes to the point of winning or losing. Compared to him, I have little experience in winning championships and that difference showed"...Vik's teammate Trond Einar Elden, who did commentary for Norwegian TV during the cross-country part, added that, "I was 99 percent sure that Bjarte was faster but maybe Ogiwara was more experienced and had better tactics. Bjarte is very strong physically and he is more confident now"...Vik tries to maintain a balance between the two parts of the nordic combined in his training by focusing on jumping for four or five days, and then skiing for another four or five days...Vik's father, a dentist, and mother, a primary school teacher, have always been interested in skiing and gave their son his first pair of skis at the age of three...Vik was inspired by his godfather and next-door neighbor Sverre Stenersen (SVER-uh STEN-er-sen) -- winner of Olympic gold in 1956 and bronze in 1952 in the nordic combined...Stenersen started a jumping school in the area to complement already-existing cross-country training facilities...Vik visited the U.S. in June 1997 with his parents and girlfriend..."Florida was fortunately not so hot"...a cheeseburger afficionado, Vik also enjoyed trips to McDonald's...he also gains nourishment from his mother's homemade pizza, which is "like American pizza but a little different"...Vik is a self-described outdoorsman who enjoys grouse hunting and fishing...he hails from the town of Bardufoss in northern Norway, where his parents continue to live, and where his Olympic medals are displayed...when asked about his hopes for Nagano, Vik said, "I want to be Number One and win the gold"...in doing so, Vik would match his godfather's achievement of winning bronze and then gold in successive Olympic nordic combined competitions...Vik speaks English very well...