Eirik Verås Larsen
Encyclopedia
Biography
Name: Eirik Verås LarsenDate of birth: 26 March 1976
Born: Flekkefjord, Norway
Residence: Oslo, Norway
Education: M.Sc. in Biomechanics
Best Results: Olympic Champion, 6 x World Champion, 7 x European Champion
’’’Eirik Verås Larsen’’’ (born March 26, 1976 in Flekkefjord
Flekkefjord
is a town and municipality in the county of Vest-Agder, Norway.The town of Flekkefjord was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . The rural municipalities of Bakke, Gyland, Hidra, and Nes were merged with Flekkefjord on 1 January 1965.Flekkefjord is the westernmost town of the...
) is a orway|Norwegian] sprint kayaker who has competed internationally since the early 1990s. He has participated in three Summer Olympics, and has won a complete set of medals (gold: 2004
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
K-1 1000 m, silver: 2008
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
K-1 1000 m, bronze: 2004 K-2 1000 m).
Eirik Verås Larsen’s definitive international breakthrough came when he and his companion Nils Olav Fjeldheim
Nils Olav Fjeldheim
Nils Olav Fjeldheim is a Norwegian sprint canoer who competed from 1998 to 2004. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he won a bronze in the K-2 1000 m event at Athens in 2004....
won the European Championship K2-1000 gold medal in 2000.
Early career
Verås Larsen started kayaking at the age of 10 in Flekkefjord, a small town at the south west coast with 8000 inhabitants. Flekkefjord Kayak Club had a history of producing world champions – such as his coach Olaf SøylandOlaf Søyland
Olaf Søyland is a Norwegian sprint canoer who competed in the mid to late 1970s. He won three medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with two golds and a silver ....
who won gold medals in K4-10 000m in 1975 and in the K2-1000m in 1979.
As a young competitive athlete on national level Verås Larsen was never the top ranking guy. He was however known as being dedicated, hard working, and he was feared by many for his endurance capacity. Towards the end of his teenage years his hard work started to pay off, and as a 17 year old he surprised many by winning the bronze medal in the 1993 Nordic Marathon Junior Championship in Sweden.
Verås Larsen moved to Oslo in 1995 in order to be surrounded by the best racers in Norway. For several years he trained in the group around Knut Holman
Knut Holmann
Knut Holmann is a Norwegian sprint canoer competed from the early 1990s to the early 2000s. Competing in four Summer Olympics, he won six medals...
, the number one dominating athlete in the men’s K1-1000 meter throughout the 1990s (three olympic gold medals, five times world champion).
International breakthrough
Eirik Verås Larsen’s definitive international breakthrough came when he and his companion Nils Olav FjeldheimNils Olav Fjeldheim
Nils Olav Fjeldheim is a Norwegian sprint canoer who competed from 1998 to 2004. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he won a bronze in the K-2 1000 m event at Athens in 2004....
won the European Championship K2-1000 gold medal in 2000 in Poznan
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
, Poland. The achievement resulted in a wild-card from the International Canoe Federation
International Canoe Federation
The International Canoe Federation is the umbrella organization of all national canoe organizations worldwide. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and administers all aspects of canoe sport worldwide...
for participation in the Sydney Olympics the same year, where they placed 9th on K2-1000.
The golden years – European-, World- and Olympic Champion
In 2001 Verås Larsen won his first World Champion gold medal. He and Nils Olav FjeldheimNils Olav Fjeldheim
Nils Olav Fjeldheim is a Norwegian sprint canoer who competed from 1998 to 2004. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he won a bronze in the K-2 1000 m event at Athens in 2004....
were superior to the other teams in the K2-1000 final in Poznan, Poland. This was the start of Verås Larsen’s golden years.
From 2002 Verås Larsen went for combining K1-1000 and K2-1000. Although the K2 continued to perform very well, it was his K1 achievements that would dominate the coming years of his career. He won World Champion Gold medals in K1-1000 in 2002 and 2005.
The number one milestone of his career came in the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. Over a few years he had tried to combine K2-1000m, K1-1000m and K1-500m. This was a major challenge as the event racing times were very close in the championship time schedules. In Athens he won Gold medal in K1-1000, followed by an impressive bronze medal in K2-1000 one hour later! He also finished 4th at K1-500.
In 2006 Larsen was never in top shape and did not win any international titles. His best results were 5th on K1-500 in the European Championships, and 6th on K1-1000 in the World Championships. This wake-up call may well have turned out to sharpen his focus towards the 2008 Olympics for which he was a clear gold candidate. After a disappointing 2006 he was back on track in 2007 and won the Gold medal on K1-1000 at the European Championships, and he finished 3rd in the World Championships later the same year.
There was some uncertainty around his fitness level in the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. Since 2005 his best result in the World Championships was 3rd in 2007. He came to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
with a 6th place in K2-1000 (with Mattis Næss
Mattis Næss
Mattis Næss is a Norwegian sprint canoer who competed from the mid 1990s to the mid 2000s.-Biography:He won a bronze medal in the K-2 1000 m event at the 2005 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Zagreb....
) as his best result from the European Championships, not having participated in K1-1000. In Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
he won a Silver medal at K1-1000 meter only beaten by Tim Brabants
Tim Brabants
Tim Brabants MBE is a British sprint kayaker who has competed since the late 1990s. Competing in three Summer Olympics, he won three medals with one gold and two bronzes .Brabants won the K-1 1000 m European championship at Szeged, Hungary in 2002, the first time a British paddler had...
(GBR), and claimed that he was very happy as he had done his best race since 2004 . He completed a great season by finishing 4th in the Olympic K1-500.
Before the 2009 season Verås Larsen decided to go for K2 with Jacob Norenberg
Jacob Norenberg
Jacob Lorentz Norenberg is a Norwegian sprint canoer who competed in the mid 2000s. He won a bronze in the K-2 1000 m event at the 2005 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Zagreb....
, and did not race internationally in K1. Together they won the 2009 European Championships at K2-1000 in Germany and finished 5th in the World Championships in Halifax
Lake Banook
Lake Banook is a freshwater lake located in Dartmouth within the Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is home to three sprint canoe and kayak clubs, two rowing clubs, and has a claim to be the birthplace of ice hockey.-Location:...
later the same year.
Verås Larsen held the individual (K-1) 1000m world record of 3:24.920 (Duisburg
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
2004) until it was bettered by Ben Fouhy
Ben Fouhy
Ben Fouhy is a New Zealand flatwater canoer who has been competing since the early 2000s. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he won the silver in the K-1 1000 m event at Athens in 2004....
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
(Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
2006) with the time of 3:24.495 (backwind of 2 m/s).
Marathon canoeing
In 2001 and 2002 Verås Larsen won the K2 marathon World Championships together with his companion Nils Olav FjeldheimNils Olav Fjeldheim
Nils Olav Fjeldheim is a Norwegian sprint canoer who competed from 1998 to 2004. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he won a bronze in the K-2 1000 m event at Athens in 2004....
.
Step down and comeback
After the 2009 season Verås Larsen decided that he would not race in 2010. He had attained his goals with several gold medals in both the Olympics and in World Championships, and needed time to decide whether he would go for another Olympics.On 18 August 2010 a Norwegian newspaper broke the news that Verås Larsen was ready for a comeback, aiming for another gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
in London.
In his first international World Cup competition in the comeback season 2011 he finished 2nd on K1-1000m (Poznan, Poland).
Education
Eirik Verås Larsen holds a M.Sc. in biomechanicsBiomechanics
Biomechanics is the application of mechanical principles to biological systems, such as humans, animals, plants, organs, and cells. Perhaps one of the best definitions was provided by Herbert Hatze in 1974: "Biomechanics is the study of the structure and function of biological systems by means of...
from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences is a public university located at Sognsvann in Oslo, Norway. It has the national responsibility for education and research related within sport sciences. It provides education at Bachelor, Master and Doctorate level....
.