Eirik Verås Larsen

Eirik Verås Larsen was born in Flekkefjord and started canoeing at the age of ten, coached by Olaf Søyland, world champion in K-4 10,000 metres in 1975 and K-2 1,000 metres in 1979. In 1995 he went to Oslo to study at the The Norwegian University of Sport and Physical Education, and started training with Knut Holmann. Together with Nils Olav Fjeldheim he had his breakthrough in 2000, winning gold in the K-2 1,000 at the European Championships. The 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney was, however, a disappointment for Larsen and Fjeldheim, as they placed ninth in K-2 1,000 as their best result. In the 2004 Olympics he first won the K-1 1,000, and an hour later won a bronze medal with Fjeldheim at K-2 1,000. In 2008 he won the silver medal in K-1 1,000 in Beijing. Larsen has been a leading canoeist over the last decade, winning five World, seven European and 21 national titles. He has a masters degree in biomechanics and lives with his wife in Sandvika just outside Oslo. In 2011 he made a comeback after not competing for two seasons.