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Olympics

<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/australia-olympic-athletes/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">List of Olympic athletes</a> born in Scandinavia, listed alphabetically with photos when available. These famous Olympians from Scandinavia have achieved some of the highest honors in sports history just by qualifying for the Olympics, as most athletes will never be chosen to represent their countries. These are the most prominent <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/scandinavian-celebrities/celebrity-lists?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">people from Scandinavia</a> who have competed in the Olympics, although not all of them have taken home an Olympic medal. While these popular Scandinavia Olympians were born in Scandinavia, they didn't necessarily compete for their originating country. Examples include Henrik Sedin and Henrik Lundqvist. This list answers the questions, "Which Olympians are from Scandinavia?" and "Which Olympians were born in Scandinavia?"

List of Olympians from Scandinavia | Olympic Athletes Born Here

Olympic Athletes Born in Scandinavia

Olympic Athlete

Best Rankings of Sports Teams and Players, Interesting Sports Facts, and Moments in Sports

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Daniel Alfredsson

Daniel Alfredsson (pronounced [²dɑːnɪˌɛl ²alfrɛdˌsɔn]; born 11 December 1972) is a Swedish-Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He spent 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), 17 with the Ottawa Senators and his 18th with the Detroit Red Wings.
Alfredsson was the long-time captain of the Senators, serving from 1999 to 2013. With the Senators, Alfredsson usually played on the first line, which was formerly nicknamed the "CASH" or 'Pizza' line with centre Jason Spezza and left winger Dany Heatley, before Heatley's trade to the San Jose Sharks. He had traditionally been the fourth forward on the ice in the role of pointman on Ottawa's powerplay. He was one of the league's top two-way players, and he holds the Senators' franchise records for goals (426), assists (682) and points (1,108)  with 1,178 games played. He had played for Sweden internationally 14 times, including the 2006 gold medal and 2014 silver medal-winning Olympic teams. He was the 75th player to reach 1,000 career points in the NHL, doing so after scoring three goals in a win over the Buffalo Sabres on 22 October 2010. Alfredsson holds an Honorary Degree from Carleton University.

Aage Steen

Aage Torstein Wetterland Steen (January 15, 1900 – February 28, 1982) was a Norwegian boxer who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics. In 1920 he was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the welterweight class after losing his fight to the eventual gold medalist Bert Schneider.He was born in Vadsø, and spent his working career in Namsos.

Aarne Reini

Aarne Reini (August 6, 1906 – February 23, 1974) was a Finnish wrestler and Olympic medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling.

Aarne Salovaara

Aarne Ihamo Salovaara (born Arne Ihamo Nylenius, 25 February 1887 – 11 September 1945) was a Finnish gymnast and track and field athlete, who competed in the 1908 and the 1912 Summer Olympics.

Christoffer Vikström

Björn Christoffer Vilhelm Vikström (born 2 February 1987 in Borlänge, Sweden) is an Olympic swimmer from Sweden. He swam for Sweden at the 2008 Olympics.Both his parents (Per Wikström and Eva Lundahl) and his brother Sebastian Wisktröm have represented Sweden. He holds the Swedish Junior Record in 100m Freestyle.

Taina Kolkkala

Taina Maria Kolkkala, née Uppa (born 24 October 1976 in Pori) is a retired female javelin thrower from Finland. Her personal best is 64.06 metres, achieved in July 2000 in Pihtipudas. She is nicknamed "Taikku".

Aatto Pietikäinen

Aatto Pietikäinen (October 7, 1921, Kuopio – April 2, 1966) was a Finnish ski jumper who competed in the 1940s.  He finished eighth in the individual large hill event at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz.



Ådne Søndrål

Ådne Søndrål (born 10 May 1971) is a former Norwegian speed skater.
Søndrål, representing Hol IL, was one of the best 1500 m skaters through most of the 1990s. He placed 2nd in the 1992 Winter Olympics and 4th in the 1994 Olympics. He finally won Olympic gold when he won 1500 m in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, setting a new world record: 1:47.87. He was also one of the favourites for a 1000 m medal in 1998, but he got sick before this race and did not start. In the 2002 Winter Olympics he was the big favourite, but he dislocated both his shoulders in falls in the last two weeks before the Olympic races, and he was happy to win a bronze medal. This made his collection of Olympic medals complete - one of each colour, in addition to a 4th position.
He started his career as an allround speed skater, without much success in the international allround championships. From 1996, he specialised on 1000 m and 1500 m, and he placed 2nd on both distances at the first World Single Distance Championships. He also won the 1000 m World Cup this season. In 1999 he tried allround again and he achieved his best result, placing 6th in the World Allround Championships on home ground in Hamar, Norway.
His achievements also include 4 gold and 6 silver medals in the World Single Distance Championships, 30 World Cup wins (1 on the 500 m, 11 on the 1000 m and 18 on the 1500 m) and 4 World Cup titles (on the 1000 m in 1996 and on the 1500 m in 1999, 2000 and 2002), and the Oscar Mathisen Award in 1998. In March 1998 in Calgary, he broke his own 1500 m world record, setting it at 1:46.43. This record stood firm until Jakko Jan Leeuwangh broke it in January 2000.
For many years, his personal trainer was former Norwegian speed skater Tom Erik Oxholm.
At the 2002 Winter Olympics, he was elected by the athletes as an IOC member for a period of 4 years, replacing Johann Olav Koss as one of the athletes representatives.

Gustaf Lindblom

Gustaf "Topsy" Lindblom (3 December 1891 – 26 April 1960) was a Swedish athlete who won the triple jump event at the 1912 Summer Olympics held in Stockholm, Sweden.He also headed the editorial office of the sport magazine Idrottsbladet 1915–1934, was secretary of the Swedish Boxing Federation 1921–1929 and 1932–35, was the Swedish boxer Olle Tandberg's manager 1940 and CEO of the famous dance palace Nalen in Stockholm 1933–1960.

Elias Katz

Elias Katz (June 22, 1901 – December 24, 1947) was a Finnish track and field athlete, who competed mainly in the 3000 metres steeplechase.
Born in Turku, Katz was Jewish. He competed for Finland in the 1924 Summer Olympics held in Paris, France in the 3000 metre steeple chase where he won the silver medal. He then joined with two of the greatest distance runners Paavo Nurmi and Ville Ritola to win the gold medal in the 3000m team race as well.
He joined the Bar Kochba Jewish sports club in Berlin in 1924. In 1933 Katz immigrated to Palestine, where he was coach of the Palestinian track team for the 1948 Maccabi Games. In December 1947 while filming at a British army camp during the Civil War in Mandatory Palestine, he was killed in an attack by Arab terrorists.

Adolf Valentin Lindfors

Adolf Lindfors is a Finnish wrestler and Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling.

Åge Ellingsen

Åge Ellingsen (born 5 November 1962 in Oslo, Norway) is a former Norwegian ice hockey defenceman.

John Ljunggren

John Arthur Ljunggren (9 September 1919 – 13 January 2000) was a Swedish race walker. He competed in the 50 kilometer event at the 1948, 1956 and 1960 Olympics and finished in first, third and second place, respectively. At the European Championships he won a gold medal in 1946, a silver medal in 1950, and finished fourth in 1954 and fifth in 1962.Ljunggren got used to long walks as a child, along with his brothers Verner and Gunnar, as they did not have bicycles. He was known for his walking technique, and was never disqualified during his 499 races. He also competed nationally in cycling, orienteering, running and cross-country skiing. Ljunggren was used to hot, but not cold weather; so he got cramps in the cold Helsinki at the 1952 Olympics and finished ninth. At the 1960 Games in Rome, a friendly race official poured a bucket of ice water close to the finish; Ljunggren cramped again and finished second. At the 1956 Olympics he got a bad infection in a toe before the final race, yet managed to finish third.Ljunggren continued race walking until 1984, and won the 20 km event at the 1977 World Championships in the masters category. An accountant by trade, he was deeply religious.

Åge Lundström

John Åge Lundström (8 June 1890 – 26 September 1975) was a Swedish Air Force general and horse rider who competed in the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics.

Agne Holmström

Olof Agne Laurentius Holmström (29 December 1893 – 22 October 1949) was a Swedish sprinter who competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics. He won a bronze medal in the 4 × 100 m relay, but failed to reach the finals of individual 100 m and 200 m events.In 1917 Holmström won Swedish titles in the 100 m, 200 m, 4 × 100 m and standing high jump events. After retiring from competitions he worked as a sports teacher, and between 1930 and 1949 was secretary-general of the Swedish Gymnastics Federation. He was responsible for the Lingiadem, major gymnastic events that were held in Stockholm in 1939 and 1949 in honor of the founder of Swedish gymnastics, Pehr Henrik Ling. The 1949 event was a sporting success, but a financial fiasco. Unable to handle the criticism, Holmström committed suicide by jumping from the Katarina Elevator.

Erik Elmsäter

Fritz Erik Elmsäter (7 October 1919 – 9 March 2006) was the first Swedish athlete to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. In 1948 he won a silver medal in the 3000 m steeplechase race, and finished 19th in the 18 km cross-country skiing and 9th in the Nordic combined event. At the 1952 Winter Olympics, he was the flag bearer for Sweden, and finished 56th in the 18 km skiing race and 13th in the Nordic combined.

Agneta Andersson

Agneta Monica Andersson (born 25 April 1961 in Karlskoga, Örebro County) is a Swedish sprint canoer who competed from the early 1980s to the late 1990s. Competing in five Summer Olympics, she won seven medals with three gold (K-1 500 m: 1984, K-2 500 m: 1984, 1996), two silvers (K-4 500 m: 1984, K-2 500 m: 1992), and two bronzes (K-4 500 m: 1992, 1996).
Andersson was awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal in 1996, jointly with Susanne Gunnarsson.
She also won eleven medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with a gold (K-2 500 m: 1993), three silvers (K-1 500 m: 1982, K-2 500 m: 1981, K-4 500 m: 1993), and seven bronzes (K-1 500 m: 1981, 1985, 1987; K-2 500 m: 1982, 1983, 1985, 1991).

Aino-Kaisa Saarinen

Aino-Kaisa Saarinen (born 1 February 1979) is a retired Finnish cross country skier who competed in the World Cup between 1998 and 2018. With 354 individual World Cup starts, Saarinen is the current record holder for both men and women, with Stefanie Böhler in second place with 343.

Åke Grönhagen

Åke Edvard Grönhagen (24 January 1885 – 25 December 1974) was a Swedish modern pentathlete and épée fencer who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics. He finished fourth in the Olympic modern pentathlon, and was eliminated in the first round of the individual épée competition.
Grönhagen's grandson, Carl William "Bill" Gronhagen, was an air traffic controller at Los Angeles International Airport.

Matti Närhi

Juha Matti Närhi (born 17 August 1975 in Viitasaari) is a Finnish javelin thrower.
His personal best throw is 88.24 metres, achieved in July 1997 in Soini.
World indoor best holder at javelin; March 3, 1996 he threw 85.78 in Kajaani, Finland.

Christoffer Svae

Christoffer Svae (born 21 March 1982) is a Norwegian curler from Oslo. He currently plays second for Team Thomas Ulsrud.At Junior level, Svae played second for Team Thomas Løvold and won gold medals at the 2002 and 2003 World Junior Curling Championships "B" tournaments.
Svae formally joined Team Ulsrud in 2007 having played alternate since 2005. During the 2005–2010 seasons, Svae and his team won six World Curling Tour events, three European Curling Championship medals (silver in 2007 and 2008; bronze in 2009), four World Curling Championship medals (bronze in 2006, 2008 and 2009; silver in 2010), and silver at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.It was Svae who selected Loudmouth Golf's colorful argyle pants (Dixie and Red & Gray) as Team Norway's uniform at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics because they came close to matching the Norwegian flag colors – red, white and blue. The pants brought Team Norway unprecedented popularity as shown by the surge in sales at Loudmouth Golf as well as the number of followers at the Facebook's Norwegian Olympic Curling Team's Pants fan page exceeding over 600,000 by the end of the 2009-10 curling season.

Marianne Pettersen

Marianne Iren Pettersen (born 12 April 1975 in Oslo) is a Norwegian footballer. She was a forward for the club Asker, whom she joined from Gjelleråsen after the 1996 season, and became the top scorer with 36 goals in the 1998 season of 18 matches. For the Norwegian national team, she debuted in 1994, scoring against Italy. Overall, she scored 66 goals in 98 international matches. She retired in 2003, after competing in the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics.In 2007, she rejoined Asker as the assistant trainer and began playing again, as a reserve striker.  On 19 May the same year she took the record as the highest scorer in the elite Norwegian league, the Toppserien, with 147 goals to that date.

Åke Karlsson

Åke Aleksej Karlsson (August 16, 1911, Turku – February 12, 1958) was a Finnish boxer who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics.
He was born and died in Turku and was also known under the name Keiras.
In 1936 he was eliminated in the second round of the featherweight class after losing his fight to the upcoming gold medalist Oscar Casanovas.

Åke Lindman

Åke Leonard Lindman (11 January 1928 in Helsinki – 3 March 2009), born Åke Leonard Järvinen, was a Finnish director and actor.
In his youth Lindman was a football player, playing defence for the Finnish national team during the Olympics in Helsinki 1952. He represented the football club HIFK in the Finnish league. In the 1960s, the British Football League club Swindon Town F.C. wanted to sign him, but he turned them down to focus on his acting career.
Åke Lindman's breakthrough as an actor came with his role as the stubborn soldier Lehto in Edvin Laine's movie The Unknown Soldier from 1955. Later, he would also achieve fame as captain Torsten Jansson in the Swedish soap opera Rederiet. Lindman also found success as the director of, amongst others, the TV-series Stormskärs Maja and the movie Framom främsta linjen, a movie about the Finland-Swedish infantry regiment 61 during the defence of the Karelian Isthmus in 1944. His last film was the war movie Tali-Ihantala 1944.  Lindman won two Jussi Awards, one for best director in 1988 and a Lifetime Achievement award in 2008.

Daniel Sedin

Daniel Hans Sedin (born 26 September 1980) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey winger who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Vancouver Canucks, from 2000–2018. Born and raised in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, Daniel and his identical twin brother Henrik played together throughout their careers; the pair were renowned for their effectiveness as a tandem. During his career, Daniel was known as a goal-scorer (150+ more career NHL goals than Henrik), while Henrik was known as a playmaker (150+ more career NHL assists than Daniel). Daniel tallied 393 goals and 648 assists in 1,306 games played in the NHL, ranking him as the Canucks' second-highest points scorer all time.
Daniel began his professional career in the Swedish Hockey League with Modo Hockey in 1997 and was co-recipient, with Henrik, of the 1999 Golden Puck as Swedish player of the year. He played four seasons with Modo (including a return in 2004–05 due to the NHL lockout), helping the club to two consecutive appearances in the Le Mat Trophy Finals, in 1999 and 2000, where they lost both times. Selected second overall by the Canucks in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, Daniel moved to the NHL in the 2000–01 season. He spent his entire NHL career in Vancouver, and in 2016 became the club's all-time top goal scorer. After emerging as a top player in the club during the 2005–06 season, Daniel since recorded six consecutive campaigns of at least 20 goals and 70 points. In 2011, he won the Art Ross Trophy as the League's leading point-scorer and the Ted Lindsay Award as the best player in the League, as voted by fellow players. Daniel was also nominated for the Hart Memorial Trophy as the League's most valuable player. In Sweden, he and Henrik were awarded the Victoria Scholarship as the country's athletes of the year.
Internationally, Daniel has competed on the Swedish national ice hockey team. In addition to being a three-time Winter Olympian, he has appeared in two European Junior Championships, two World Junior Championships and four World Championships. He won gold medals at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and 2013 IIHF World Championship in Stockholm. Daniel earned a silver medal at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi and two World Championship bronze medals, at the 1999 and 2001 editions.

List of Olympic athletes born in Scandinavia, listed alphabetically with photos when available. These famous Olympians from Scandinavia have achieved some of ...

Celebrities

How many celebrities named Dave can you think of? The famous Daves and Davids below have many different professions, including notable actors named Dave, famous musicians named David, and even comedians named Dave.

David Bowie is certainly one of the most famous Davids on this list. One of the famous musicians named David, he started his career in the late-1960s and influenced countless musicians throughout his 50-year career. His final album, Blackstar, won five Grammy Awards including <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/grammy-award-for-best-rock-instrumental-performance-winners/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Best Rock Performance</a>.

Another of the famous people with the first name Dave is Dave Chappelle. He is considered one of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-funniest-stand-up-comedians-in-entertainment?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">funniest comedians of all time</a> and was honored with the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/mark-twain-prize-for-american-humor-winners/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Mark Twain Prize</a> in 2019.

Did we forget one of your favorite famous men named David? Just add them to the list!