Ragnar Omtvedt (18 February 1890–31 March 1975) was a Norwegian born, American Olympic skier.
Career Ragnar Omtvedt was born in Oslo, Norway. In 1912, he emigrated to the United States. He was the US Ski Jumping Champion three times (1913, 1914 and 1917), and 1922 Canadian champion."Shines in Great Outdoors" Indianapolis Times 13 January 1923 pg 10
On 16 February 1913, his first year competing in the United States, he set a world record of 51.5 m (169 ft) on Curry Hill in Ironwood, Michigan, United States.
On 18 February 1916, he set another ski jumping world record at 58.5 m (192.9 ft) in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where there is currently a restaurant named after him (Ragnar's).
He competed in cross-country skiing and Nordic combined at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix. Before the Olympics, Omtvedt was removed from the team after it emerged that he had participated in competitions with cash prizes, in violation of the policy of amateurism that the Olympics enforced at the time. Omtvedt was reinstated after he said that the cash prizes he had won were insufficient to cover the costs of participation in those events."U. S. Ski Entries Are Not Protested", Jackson Citizen Patriot, January 18, 1924, page 20. While attempting a jump in Chamonix on February 4, 1924, Omtvedt fell 55 feet and dislocated his knee. He laid in the snow for two hours before being found, and did not receive medical attention for another three hours after that."U.S. Wins Ski Jump", Springfield Republican, February 4, 1924, front page. The injury ended his jumping career. He was elected into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1967. He died in Florida in 1975.
Ski jumping world records DateHillLocationMetresFeet16 February 1913 Curry Hill Ironwood, United States48.215816 February 1913 Curry Hill Ironwood, United States51.516918 February 1916 Howelsen Hill Steamboat Springs, United States58.5192.9 Not recognized! Stood at world record distance, but achieved at professional championships.
References
External links Ragnar's Steamboat Mountain Dining