"Hjallis" Hjalmar Andersen
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Hjalmar Andersen, or Hjallis as he was popularly called, was one of the best and most popular skaters of all time. He was born in Nordland in 1923, but grew up in Trondheim. He debuted as a skater after the war and showed incredible talent. He quickly joined the Norwegian national team and received silver in the EC as early as 1948. Then it went blow after blow with big titles and world records. He won all the NM, EC and WC three years in a row in the years 1950 – 1952, and not only that, he won three Olympic golds in Oslo in 1952. During that period he was, so to speak, unbeatable at 10,000 meters and won 50 races in a row! Beat that! Hjallis was also a skilled cyclist and rower, and ended his active sports career as a rower. He received several awards for his efforts and received Egeberg's Honorary Award for outstanding efforts in two sports. After his career, he published several books and was a frequent and popular TV guest where good stories came on a conveyor belt. Hjallis was undoubtedly one of Norway's most popular athletes of all time. He left this world in 2013 and was buried at the state's expense.