Aksel Lund Svindal is an alpine skiing athlete competing at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics for Norway.
Aksel Lund Svindal came to Beaver Creek in November 2007, fresh off a World Cup victory in the super-G at Lake Louise. On his first training run for the Birds of Prey downhill—he said later that he usually takes first training runs easier, but because he was in top form, he threw a bit of caution to the wind—he crashed hard on the Golden Eagle jump toward the bottom of the course. He suffered
Svindal spent two weeks at the Vail hospital, recovering from his physical injuries and mapping out his comeback attempt. "When I was in the hospital in Vail I had a view to the slopes. If you think about something that you know how to do and that you've been doing for a long time, it's easier to get back into it." During his time away from the slopes, he lost over 30 pounds of muscle mass. He first got back on skis five months after the crash and re-joined his Norwegian teammates at a training camp during the summer of 2008.
One month after his comeback debut at Soelden and one day after stopping by Vail to thank his doctors, he returned to Beaver Creek, the site of his horrific crash. This time, he skied the first downhill training run very calmly (10th best time) and claimed later that the Golden Eagle jump did not affect him adversely. On race day, he barreled down the course with his trademark speed and agility and won by 0.06 seconds over his closest competitor, Liechtenstein's Marco Buechel. The next day, he amazed again by winning the super-G.
Svindal's return was recognized in his home country of Norway. He earned the award, Role Model of the Year, at the Norwegian Sports Gala in January 2009 for his positive attitude during his recovery and comeback attempt. The year before, he had won Male Athlete of the Year at the same gala following his first overall World Cup crown.
In spite of getting a start in all five Alpine events, the 2006 Torino Games did not produce any magical moments for Svindal. However, in the two World Championships since then, he has pulled off three, gold medal-winning performances in three different Alpine disciplines. At the 2007 Worlds, he won back-to-back titles in the downhill and giant slalom. In a thrilling slalom portion of the super-combined at the 2009 Worlds Val d'Isere, France, he successfully stayed on his skis all the way down the course where other leading contenders—like Bode Miller, Jean-Baptiste Grange, Adrien Theaux—failed.
After he collected crystal globes for his second overall World Cup title and the super-G title, Svindal decided to head to Whistler to ski on the Olympic slopes and wind down after a long season. It didn't go as planned, however. He told Eurosport, "I had never been to Whistler, so I thought it would be a good, not only because of the Olympics, but because it's a cool place to go." He had trained with the Canadians for many years, but when he got to the mountain, he was told to leave by the country's Olympic officials. "I spent 10 days watching the Canadians ski!"
As if his competition isn't in big enough trouble, Svindal discovered a device that he claims improves his balance out on the course and overall performance. The custom-made, Dr. Brux mouth guard, also used to curb teeth-grinding at night, makes him feel more relaxed, "especially in rough conditions [where] he feels stronger and more compact."
Svindal grew up in a hilly—not mountainous—part of Norway near Oslo, the capital city. He came from an active skiing family. His mother, Ina, who unexpectedly passed away from complications during childbirth when he was eight (the infant child also died), was a member of the European Cup B-team. His father, Bjoern, is one of his son's most dedicated fans, appearing at almost every event. Younger brother Simen also competed on the national level until 2007. Svindal moved to Oppdal to attend ski school, made it onto the Norwegian junior team and began competing at international events.
When asked in an interview with Swedish television who the greatest winter sports athlete of all time is, Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen or Swedish Alpine skier Ingemar Stenmark, Svindal smiled and chose sport over country. "Stenmark is always king!" Some day, Svindal might take over the throne himself.
Svindal is known as an extremely sociable fellow who seemingly gets along with everybody, even his top rivals. He explains that the five-month World Cup season is not conducive to enmity. "It's not like a soccer match, where it's two times 45, and that's it."
Aksel Lund Svindal came to Beaver Creek in November 2007, fresh off a World Cup victory in the super-G at Lake Louise. On his first training run for the Birds of Prey downhill—he said later that he usually takes first training runs easier, but because he was in top form, he threw a bit of caution to the wind—he crashed hard on the Golden Eagle jump toward the bottom of the course. He suffered
multiple facial fractures (caused partly by impact with his knees), injuries to his ribs and back and an 8-inch deep laceration in the abdominal region (caused by his ski). The four-hour, emergency medical procedure at Vail Valley Medical Center involved opening him up further to ensure that his internal organs had not become infected.
Svindal spent two weeks at the Vail hospital, recovering from his physical injuries and mapping out his comeback attempt. "When I was in the hospital in Vail I had a view to the slopes. If you think about something that you know how to do and that you've been doing for a long time, it's easier to get back into it." During his time away from the slopes, he lost over 30 pounds of muscle mass. He first got back on skis five months after the crash and re-joined his Norwegian teammates at a training camp during the summer of 2008.
One month after his comeback debut at Soelden and one day after stopping by Vail to thank his doctors, he returned to Beaver Creek, the site of his horrific crash. This time, he skied the first downhill training run very calmly (10th best time) and claimed later that the Golden Eagle jump did not affect him adversely. On race day, he barreled down the course with his trademark speed and agility and won by 0.06 seconds over his closest competitor, Liechtenstein's Marco Buechel. The next day, he amazed again by winning the super-G.
Svindal's return was recognized in his home country of Norway. He earned the award, Role Model of the Year, at the Norwegian Sports Gala in January 2009 for his positive attitude during his recovery and comeback attempt. The year before, he had won Male Athlete of the Year at the same gala following his first overall World Cup crown.
In spite of getting a start in all five Alpine events, the 2006 Torino Games did not produce any magical moments for Svindal. However, in the two World Championships since then, he has pulled off three, gold medal-winning performances in three different Alpine disciplines. At the 2007 Worlds, he won back-to-back titles in the downhill and giant slalom. In a thrilling slalom portion of the super-combined at the 2009 Worlds Val d'Isere, France, he successfully stayed on his skis all the way down the course where other leading contenders—like Bode Miller, Jean-Baptiste Grange, Adrien Theaux—failed.
After he collected crystal globes for his second overall World Cup title and the super-G title, Svindal decided to head to Whistler to ski on the Olympic slopes and wind down after a long season. It didn't go as planned, however. He told Eurosport, "I had never been to Whistler, so I thought it would be a good, not only because of the Olympics, but because it's a cool place to go." He had trained with the Canadians for many years, but when he got to the mountain, he was told to leave by the country's Olympic officials. "I spent 10 days watching the Canadians ski!"
As if his competition isn't in big enough trouble, Svindal discovered a device that he claims improves his balance out on the course and overall performance. The custom-made, Dr. Brux mouth guard, also used to curb teeth-grinding at night, makes him feel more relaxed, "especially in rough conditions [where] he feels stronger and more compact."
Svindal grew up in a hilly—not mountainous—part of Norway near Oslo, the capital city. He came from an active skiing family. His mother, Ina, who unexpectedly passed away from complications during childbirth when he was eight (the infant child also died), was a member of the European Cup B-team. His father, Bjoern, is one of his son's most dedicated fans, appearing at almost every event. Younger brother Simen also competed on the national level until 2007. Svindal moved to Oppdal to attend ski school, made it onto the Norwegian junior team and began competing at international events.
When asked in an interview with Swedish television who the greatest winter sports athlete of all time is, Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen or Swedish Alpine skier Ingemar Stenmark, Svindal smiled and chose sport over country. "Stenmark is always king!" Some day, Svindal might take over the throne himself.
Svindal is known as an extremely sociable fellow who seemingly gets along with everybody, even his top rivals. He explains that the five-month World Cup season is not conducive to enmity. "It's not like a soccer match, where it's two times 45, and that's it."
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