Paal TYLDUM

Pål Tyldum was a long-distance specialist who competed at three Winter Olympics (1968, 1972, 1976), winning five Olympic medals. The highlight of his career was winning the 50 km at the 1972 Winter Olympics. He also won gold in the relay in 1968 and added three silver medals, two in 1972 and one in 1976. At World Championships, he was less successful never winning an individual medal, with a best finish of fourth in 1970 over 30 km at Štrbské Pleso. Tyldum won the 50 km at Holmenkollen in both 1969 and 1972, and in 1970 was given the Holmenkollen Medal. He had also two wins in Lahti, the 15 km in 1968 and the 50 km in 1971, the latter being the first international 50 km race with a mass start. He was also a seven-time Norwegian champion, three times each in the 15 km (1969, 1971, 1973) and 50 km (1968, 1970, 1972) events and once in the 30 km (1972). He took championship golds in six consecutive years (1968-73) and was placed first or second in 50 km in all these years, underlining his dominance over long distances.

In 1972 the Norwegian Olympic Commitee (NIF) gave Tyldum the Sir Thomas Fearnley Cup for his Olympic performances. At the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Tyldum was the flagbearer for the Norwegian team at the Opening Ceremony. Tyldum grew up in a rural area and worked in forestry and as a surveyor. He had four brothers (Jon, Svein, Kjell, Gunnar), who were top cross-country skiiers, and often competed with them in national relay events, placing sixth in the 1967 and 1968 nationals with a team of four Tyldums for their club, IL Hållingen. Due to the poor training conditions, Pål was already 25-years-old when he joined the Norwegian A-team. Tyldum later became a farmer, eventually retiring on his farm in the small community in which he was born, Høylandet.