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 62) 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 Anders Svan (born 12 January 1962) is a Swedish former cross-country skier and auto racing driver. During his cross-country skiing career he won a total of four gold, one silver and one bronze medals at the Winter Olympics. Svan won a total of seven golds, three silvers, and one bronze at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. Svan also won the 15 km once (1983) and the 50 km twice (1986, 1990) at the Holmenkollen ski festival. In 1984, he earned the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal, and in 1985, he earned the Holmenkollen medal (shared with Anette Bøe and Per Bergerud). In both 1984 and 1985 did Svan win the Jerring Award. He is a board member of the International Ski Federation.

Biography

During his skiing career he became known for his dedication and attention to detail. For instance, he used a lighter alloy on the tips of his ski poles, saving four grams (0.14 oz). He won two golds (15 km and relay), one bronze (30 km) and one silver (50 km) at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. At the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, he won two golds for 50 km and relay. He also won the World championship gold six times and won the World cup five times.

As a competitor in rallycross he got one gold medal in the Swedish Championship and a bronze medal in the FIA European Championship for Rallycross Drivers (1995: Division 1 – Group N category; with a Toyota Celica GT-Four). One of the reasons for getting into another sport was that some people called him a natural skier while he himself maintained that it's just a matter of will and dedication, according to his famous tagline "nothing is impossible". He applied the same methods to his driving as his skiing and even built his own reaction-tester to practice for the rallycross eminently important starts. When his compatriot and teamboss, the late Christer Bohlin, was not able to fulfill his promise to upgrade his Toyota team for 1996 into the top ERC category (Division 2 by then), Svan quit and gave up rallycross.

After retiring from his athletic career he has worked as the host for some game shows such as the Swedish versions of American Gladiators and Fort Boyard along the swedish national lotery Bingolotto. ..... He has also appeared in numerous commercials including a famous commercial where he impersonated fellow skier Thomas Wassberg.

Svan resigned from his position as Chief of Cross-Country for Sweden on the week of 4 May 2009 after he was involved in its reorganization.

He participated in Let's Dance 2018 broadcast on TV4 where he finished third together with Jeanette Carlsson.

He retired to his 1,000-hectare (2,500-acre) forest farm, where he worked with his son, Ferry Svan, and now supports his children's careers.

Cross-country skiing results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).

Olympic Games

• 6 medals – (4 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)

World Championships

• 11 medals – (7 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze)

World Cup

Season titles

• 5 titles – (5 overall)

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

Season standings

Season	Age	Overall
1982	20	57
1983	21	02
1984	22	01
1985	23	01
1986	24	01
1987	25	03
1988	26	01
1989	27	01
1990	28	02
1991	29	8

Individual podiums

• 30 victories
• 46 podiums

No.	Season	Date	Location	Race	Level	Place
1	1982–83	12 March 1983	Oslo, Norway	50 km Individual	World Cup	3rd
2		19 March 1983	Anchorage, United States	15 km Individual	World Cup	1st
3		27 March 1983	Labrador City, Canada	30 km Individual	World Cup	1st
4	1983–84	16 December 1983	Ramsau, Austria	30 km Individual	World Cup	1st
5		10 February 1984	Sarajevo, Yugoslavia	30 km Individual	Olympic Games	3rd
6		13 February 1984		15 km Individual	Olympic Games	1st
7		19 February 1984		50 km Individual	Olympic Games	2nd
8		25 February 1984	Falun, Sweden	30 km Individual	World Cup	1st
9		2 March 1984	Lahti, Finland	15 km Individual	World Cup	3rd
10		10 March 1984	Oslo, Norway	50 km Individual	World Cup	3rd
11		17 March 1984	Fairbanks, United States	15 km Individual	World Cup	1st
12	1984–85	9 December 1984	Cogne, Italy	15 km Individual	World Cup	3rd
13		18 January 1985	Seefeld, Austria	30 km Individual	World Championships	1st
14		27 January 1985		50 km Individual	World Championships	1st
15		16 February 1985	Aleko, Bulgaria	15 km Individual	World Cup	1st
16		23 February 1985	Syktyvkar, Soviet Union	15 km Individual	World Cup	1st
17		9 March 1985	Falun, Sweden	30 km Individual	World Cup	1st
18		14 March 1985	Oslo, Norway	15 km Individual	World Cup	2nd
19	1985–86	8 December 1985	Labrador City, Canada	15 km Individual C	World Cup	1st
20		14 December 1985	Biwabik, United States	30 km Individual F	World Cup	1st
21		11 January 1986	La Bresse, France	30 km Individual C	World Cup	1st
22		15 January 1986	Bohinj, Yugoslavia	5 km Individual F	World Cup	2nd
23		14 February 1986	Oberstdorf, West Germany	50 km Individual F	World Cup	1st
24		23 February 1986	Kavgolovo, Soviet Union	15 km Individual C	World Cup	2nd
25		2 March 1986	Lahti, Finland	15 km Individual F	World Cup	2nd
26		14 March 1986	Oslo, Norway	50 km Individual C	World Cup	1st
27	1986–87	10 December 1986	Ramsau, Austria	15 km Individual F	World Cup	1st
28		13 December 1986	Cogne, Italy	15 km Individual F	World Cup	1st
29	1987–88	12 December 1987	La Clusaz, France	15 km Individual F	World Cup	2nd
30		15 December 1987	Kastelruth, Italy	30 km Individual F	World Cup	2nd
31		19 December 1987	Davos, Switzerland	15 km Individual C	World Cup	1st
32		27 February 1988	Calgary, Canada	50 km Individual F	Olympic Games	1st
33	1988–89	10 December 1988	Ramsau, Austria	15 km Individual F	World Cup	2nd
34		14 December 1988	Bohinj, Yugoslavia	30 km Individual F	World Cup	1st
35		17 December 1988	Val di Sole, Italy	15 km Individual F	World Cup	1st
36		13 January 1989	Nové Město, Czechoslovakia	15 km Individual F	World Cup	1st
37		15 January 1989		30 km Individual C	World Cup	1st
38		20 February 1989	Lahti, Finland	15 km Individual F	World Championships	1st
39		26 February 1989		50 km Individual F	World Championships	1st
40	1989–90	13 January 1990	Moscow, Soviet Union	30 km Individual F	World Cup	1st
41		21 February 1990	Val di Fiemme, Italy	30 km Individual C	World Cup	1st
42		6 March 1990	Trondheim, Norway	15 km Individual C	World Cup	2nd
43		17 March 1990	Vang, Norway	50 km Individual F	World Cup	1st
44	1990–91	7 February 1991	Val di Fiemme, Italy	30 km Individual C	World Championships	1st
45		9 February 1991		15 km Individual F	World Championships	2nd
46		17 February 1991		50 km Individual F	World Championships	2nd

Team podiums

• 9 victories
• 14 podiums

No.	Season	Date	Location	Race	Level	Place	Teammates
1	1983–84	16 February 1984	Sarajevo, Yugoslavia	4 × 10 km Relay	Olympic Games	1st	Wassberg / Kohlberg / Ottosson
2		25 February 1984	Falun, Sweden	4 × 10 km Relay	World Cup	1st	Östlund / Wassberg / Ottosson
3	1984–85	24 January 1985	Seefeld, Austria	4 × 10 km Relay	World Championships	3rd	Östlund / Wassberg / Eriksson
4		10 March 1985	Falun, Sweden	4 × 10 km Relay	World Cup	2nd	Östlund / Wassberg / Mogren
5		17 March 1985	Oslo, Norway	4 × 10 km Relay	World Cup	1st	Eriksson / Danielsson / Wassberg
6	1985–86	9 March 1986	Falun, Sweden	4 × 10 km Relay F	World Cup	1st	Östlund / Eriksson / Mogren
7		13 March 1986	Oslo, Norway	4 × 10 km Relay F	World Cup	1st	Östlund / Eriksson / Mogren
8	1986–87	17 February 1987	Oberstdorf, West Germany	4 × 10 km Relay F	World Championships	1st	Östlund / Wassberg / Mogren
9	1987–88	24 February 1988	Calgary, Canada	4 × 10 km Relay F	Olympic Games	1st	Ottosson / Wassberg / Mogren
10		13 March 1988	Falun, Sweden	4 × 10 km Relay F	World Cup	1st	Ottosson / Mogren / Majbäck
11		17 March 1988	Oslo, Norway	4 × 10 km Relay C	World Cup	2nd	Ottosson / Mogren / Majbäck
12	1988–89	24 February 1989	Lahti, Finland	4 × 10 km Relay C/F	World Championships	1st	Majbäck / Håland / Mogren
13	1990–91	15 February 1991	Val di Fiemme, Italy	4 × 10 km Relay C/F	World Championships	2nd	Eriksson / Majbäck / Mogren
14		1 March 1991	Lahti, Finland	4 × 10 km Relay C/F	World Cup	2nd	Eriksson / Mogren / Forsberg

Note: Until the 1999 World Championships and the 1994 Winter Olympics, World Championship and Olympic races were included in the World Cup scoring system.

Racing record

Complete FIA European Rallycross Championship results

Division 1

See also

In Spanish: Gunde Svan para niños In Spanish: Gunde Svan para niños