Harald BARLIE

Together with his elder brother Oddvar, Harald Barlie was selected for the 1960 Roma Olympics, competing as a welterweight in Greco-Roman. He competed at four Olympics, also in 1964, 1968 and 1972, when he carried the Norwegian flag at the München Opening Ceremony. Barlie was Nordic Champion in 1968 and 1971, was a 17-time national champion, and won the King’s Cup four times, which is given to the best wrestler at the national championships. Harald Barlie ran his own company in Oslo, and continued as a wrestling coach until his death in 1995, aged 58.

On 24 February 1967, tragedy struck the Barlie wrestling dynasty. Driving to a competition in Västerås, Sweden, there were four wrestlers from Oslo in the car, including Harald, his youngest brother Åge (aged 22), and two other wrestlers, when the car collided with a truck, and Åge was killed instantly. The three other wrestlers survived with no injuries. Åge’s daughter Ine was only one year old at the time of his father’s death, but later became World Champion in 1987 and 1992.