Sixten Jernberg
Encyclopedia
Eddy Sixten Jernberg (born 6 February 1929, Malung-Sälen Municipality, Dalarna County
) is a retired Swedish
cross country skier.
Through a career lasting from the 1954 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
in Falun
to the 1964 Winter Olympics
in Innsbruck
, he won four World Championships gold medals and nine Olympic medals. He specialised in the longer distances, with four of his eight gold medals coming in the 50 km distance, one was over 30 km and three in 4 x 10 km. He also won Vasaloppet
twice. Jernberg won the 15 km at the Holmenkollen ski festival
in 1954. For his cross-country skiing
successes, Jernberg was awarded the Holmenkollen medal
in 1960 (Shared with Helmut Recknagel
, Sverre Stensheim
, and Tormod Knutsen
). He also won the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal
in 1956 (Shared with Lars Hall).
At one competition he had fever and coughed blood, but he still finished the 50 km event.
By this slightly insane behaviour he set the standard for future Swedish skiers and Gunde Svan
admitted that he had Sixten as a reference for his own training. A quote from Gunde: "It was almost like he (Sixten) didn't like his own body and tried to punish it in different ways".
He's motto at competitions was: "Start at maximum and accelerate".
Dalarna County
Dalarna County is a county or län in middle Sweden. It borders the counties of Jämtland, Gävleborg, Västmanland, Örebro and Värmland. It is also bordered by the Norwegian counties of Hedmark and Sør-Trøndelag in the west...
) is a retired Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
cross country skier.
Through a career lasting from the 1954 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
1954 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1954 took place February 13-21, 1954 in Falun, Sweden. These were the first races where women competed with events in the 10 km and 3 x 5 km relay. It also saw the 18 km reduced to 15 km in men's cross country along with the return of the 30 km which was last...
in Falun
Falun
Falun is a city and the seat of Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 36,447 inhabitants in 2005. It is also the capital of Dalarna County...
to the 1964 Winter Olympics
1964 Winter Olympics
The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964...
in Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, he won four World Championships gold medals and nine Olympic medals. He specialised in the longer distances, with four of his eight gold medals coming in the 50 km distance, one was over 30 km and three in 4 x 10 km. He also won Vasaloppet
Vasaloppet
Vasaloppet is an annual long distance cross-country ski race held on the first Sunday of March in northwestern Dalarna, Sweden between the village of Sälen and town of Mora. It is the oldest, one of the longest, and in popular consideration the biggest cross-country ski race in the world...
twice. Jernberg won the 15 km at the Holmenkollen ski festival
Holmenkollen ski festival
The Holmenkollen Ski Festival is a traditional annual Nordic skiing event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic. It takes place in March and has been arranged every year since 1892, except for 1898 and during World War II...
in 1954. For his cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
successes, Jernberg was awarded the Holmenkollen medal
Holmenkollen medal
The Holmenkollen medal is Norwegian skiing's highest award for competitors. It signifies top placings in international championships and other international events, including the Holmenkollen events....
in 1960 (Shared with Helmut Recknagel
Helmut Recknagel
Helmut Recknagel is a former East German ski jumper who was active in the late 1950s and early 1960s.Recknagel was born in Steinbach-Hallenberg, Thuringia....
, Sverre Stensheim
Sverre Stensheim
Sverre Stensheim is a former Norwegian cross country skier.He was born in Oppdal.He won the 50 km at the Holmenkollen ski festival three straight years...
, and Tormod Knutsen
Tormod Knutsen
Tormod Knutsen is a former Norwegian nordic combined athlete. He was born in Eidsvoll. Already as a 16 year old he became named to Hovedlandsrennet, and two years later Norwegian junior champion in Ski jumping. From the season 1954/55 he started with Nordic combined...
). He also won the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal
Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal
The Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal is an annual award "for the most significant Swedish sports achievement of the year". It has been awarded by a jury led by the Swedish morning paper Svenska Dagbladet since 1925. According to its statutes the Medal may be awarded in November or December to either...
in 1956 (Shared with Lars Hall).
Training
Sixten is known for his tremendous toughness. When all the other skiers in the Swedish national team gathered to practice, he considered that as a vacation. He was the one who introduced really serious training in Sweden and really beat his own body to a pulp, as an example he parked his car 100 km away from the training camp, just to ski to it. He didn't like the fact to go one day without training.At one competition he had fever and coughed blood, but he still finished the 50 km event.
By this slightly insane behaviour he set the standard for future Swedish skiers and Gunde Svan
Gunde Svan
Gunde Svan is a former Swedish cross-country skier and auto racing driver. During his career he won a total of four gold, one silver and one bronze medals at the Winter Olympics...
admitted that he had Sixten as a reference for his own training. A quote from Gunde: "It was almost like he (Sixten) didn't like his own body and tried to punish it in different ways".
He's motto at competitions was: "Start at maximum and accelerate".
Olympic results
-
- 1956, 15 km: 2, 30 km: 2, 50 km: 1, 4 x 10 km: 3,
- 1960, 15 km: 2, 30 km: 1, 50 km: 5, 4 x 10 km: 4,
- 1964, 15 km: 3, 30 km: 5, 50 km: 1, 4 x 10 km: 1.
World Championship results
-
- 1954, 30 km: 4, 4 x 10 km: 3,
- 1958, 15 km: 4, 30 km: 3, 50 km: 1, 4 x 10 km: 1,
- 1962, 30 km: 10, 50 km: 1, 4 x 10 km: 1,