Arnfinn Bergmann

Arnfinn Bergmann was born in Trondheim and represented his hometown club of Sportsklubben Freidig for most of his career. In 1948 he became Norwegian junior champion in ski jumping, and also won the junior class in Holmenkollen. In the summer he played for Freidig’s soccer team, and they won the national championship that year. The following year he was third in the senior championships in ski jumping. He was selected for the World Ski Championships at Lake Placid in 1950, and his bronze medal was a surprise.

Bergmann stayed in Canada for the 1950-51 season and won every competition he participated in. In 1952 he was back in Norway and had a great season, winning every competition, including the Olympics in Oslo, Holmenkollen and the Norwegian Championships. In 1953 he defended his national championship title, but in 1954 he was injured early in the season as a result of a fall, and was unable to qualify for the World Championship team. In 1956 he qualified for the Olympics, but after some promising training jumps in Cortina caught the flu, was unable to regain his championship form, and did not start. At the end of his career he surprised everybody by winning the 1958 national championship, and he was selected to the World Championships in Lahti, but withdrew. He ended his career by taking bronze at the 1959 national championships.

Bergmann moved to Oslo in 1956 and represented Sportsklubben Lyn in the following seasons. He worked as teacher in junior high schools in Oslo and Bærum for 30 years, but after his retirement he moved back to his home town of Trondheim. Here he engaged himself by working to develop the local Ski Museum.