Øystein "Pølsa" Pettersen (born 19 January 1983 in Linderud) is a former Norwegian cross-country skier, television personality and podcast host who competed professionally from 2002 to 2019. He has six World Cup podiums, his best finish being second in individual sprint events. Together with Petter Northug he won gold medal in the team sprint event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. In the Individual Sprint he was one of three Norwegians to reach the six-man final.
In 2020 he was a contestant in the celebrity edition of the norwegian TV show, 71° Nord and in 2021 he took part in Mesternes Mester.
Pettersen also hosts his own podcast called Skipodden. A comedy style podcast about training and life, with an extra focus on winter sports. Skipodden has had many prominent guests including John Arne Riise, Marit Bjørgen, Gunde Svan and Petter Northug.
Athletic career Pettersen began competing in national events in 2002 and in junior international events in 2003. Although he has competed in dozens of events, he only finished in the top three at World Cup events five times, including second-place finished in Germany in 2006 and in Estonia in 2009. He did not compete in the 2006 Winter Olympics, but did win a gold medal that year in the Scandinavian championships.
Pettersen was selected to join the Norwegian team at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. In his first Olympic event, the individual sprint, he placed sixth, one of three Norwegians who made it to the final competition round. He later won a gold medal with teammate Petter Northug in the team sprint event in a close finish with teams from Germany and Russia. Originally, Pettersen was not going to compete in the event, but a last-minute withdrawal by world champion Ola Vigen Hattestad due to illness left a slot open, and Pettersen was chosen to fill it. A number of teams were in contention following Pettersen's performance during the first leg of the race, and it was not until the last hill that Northug passed his opponents and took the lead entering the stadium where the race finished.
Cross-country skiing results All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).
Olympic Games 1 medal – (1 gold) Year Age 15 km individual 30 km skiathlon 50 km mass start Sprint 4 × 10 km relay Team sprint 2010 27 — — — 6 — Gold
World Championships Year Age 15 km individual 30 km skiathlon 50 km mass start Sprint 4 × 10 km relay Team sprint 2011 28 — — — 41 — —
World Cup Season standings Season Age Discipline standingsSki Tour standingsOverallDistanceSprintNordicOpeningTour deSkiWorld CupFinal 2003 20 119 62 2004 21 141 63 2005 22 2006 23 68 26 2007 24 28 54 12 53 2008 25 40 13 — — 2009 26 44 13 — 2010 27 34 88 14 — 18 2011 28 57 20 32 — — 2012 29 53 19 — — 2013 30 73 33 — — — 2014 31 111 94 66 32 — —
Individual podiums
6 podiums – (5 , 1 )
No. Season Date Location Race Level Place1 2006–07 28 October 2006 Düsseldorf, Germany 1.5 km Sprint F World Cup 2nd2 2007–08 16 December 2007 Rybinsk, Russia 1.2 km Sprint F World Cup 3rd3 2008–09 25 January 2009 Otepää, Estonia 1.4 km Sprint C World Cup 2nd4 2009–10 28 November 2009 Rukatunturi, Finland 1.4 km Sprint C World Cup 2nd5 2010–11 4 December 2010 Düsseldorf, Germany 1.7 km Sprint F World Cup 3rd6 2011–12 25 November 2011 Rukatunturi, Finland 1.4 km Sprint C Stage World Cup 3rd
Team podiums
1 victory – (1 ) 3 podiums – (1 , 2 ) No. Season Date Location Race Level Place Teammate(s)1 2006–07 29 October 2006 Düsseldorf, Germany 6 × 1.5 km Team Sprint F World Cup 2nd Rønning2 25 March 2007 Falun, Sweden 4 × 10 km Relay C/F World Cup 1st Hjelmeset / Estil / Northug3 2013–14 22 December 2013 Asiago, Italy 6 × 1.65 km Team Sprint C World Cup 3rd Brandsdal
References Øystein Pettersen. sports-reference.com
External links