{{Short description|American Nordic skier}} {{Infobox skier | name = Ragnar Omtvedt | image = Fra Holmenkolrendet Ragn. Omtvedt - no-nb digifoto 20151211 00112 bldsa PK03229.jpg | caption = <small>Ragnar Omtvedt in Holmenkollen 1911</small> | nationality = {{flag|United States}} | birth_date = {{birth date|1890|2|18}} | birth_place = Christiania, Norway | death_date = {{Death date and age|1975|3|31|1890|2|18|df=y}} | death_place = St. Lucie County, FL, US | club = Viking (1909), Trym (1910–1911), Norge (1912–1924) | personalbest = {{convert|58.5|m|ft|abbr=on}}<br>Steamboat Springs, US<br><small>(18 February 1916)</small> }}
'''Ragnar Omtvedt''' (18 February 1890–31 March 1975) was a Norwegian born, American Olympic skier. <ref>{{cite web |url=https://skihall.com/hall-of-famers/ragnar-omtvedt/ |title=Ragnar Omtvedt |publisher=U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame |date= |accessdate=2015-08-04}}</ref>
==Career== Ragnar Omtvedt was born in Oslo, Norway. In 1912, he emigrated to the United States. He was the US Ski Jumping Champion three times (1913, 1914 and 1917), and 1922 Canadian champion.<ref>[https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82015313/1923-01-13/ed-1/seq-10/ "Shines in Great Outdoors"] ''Indianapolis Times'' 13 January 1923 pg 10</ref>
On 16 February 1913, his first year competing in the United States, he set a world record of 51.5 m (169 ft) on Curry Hill in Ironwood, Michigan, United States.<ref>{{cite web|title=Makes new ski record; 169 ft|url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86086633/1913-02-19/ed-1/seq-7/|publisher=Calumet News|date=19 February 1913}}</ref><ref name="Ironwood 1913.2">{{cite web|title=Ski jumping record broken by 13 feet|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19130217.2.121&srpos=2&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-%252522ski+jumping%252522-------1|publisher=San Francisco Call|date=16 February 1913}}</ref>
On 18 February 1916, he set another ski jumping world record at 58.5 m (192.9 ft) in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where there is currently a restaurant named after him (Ragnar's).<ref>{{cite web|title=New ski jump record|url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85038411/1916-02-19/ed-1/seq-7/|publisher=Harrisburg Telegraph|date=19 February 1916}}</ref>
He competed in cross-country skiing and Nordic combined at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix. Before the Olympics, Omtvedt was removed from the team after it emerged that he had participated in competitions with cash prizes, in violation of the policy of amateurism that the Olympics enforced at the time. Omtvedt was reinstated after he said that the cash prizes he had won were insufficient to cover the costs of participation in those events.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/jackson-citizen-patriot/185393148/ "U. S. Ski Entries Are Not Protested"], ''Jackson Citizen Patriot'', January 18, 1924, page 20.</ref> While attempting a jump in Chamonix on February 4, 1924, Omtvedt fell 55 feet and dislocated his knee. He laid in the snow for two hours before being found, and did not receive medical attention for another three hours after that.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-republican/185392420/ "U.S. Wins Ski Jump"], ''Springfield Republican'', February 4, 1924, front page.</ref> The injury ended his jumping career. He was elected into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1967. He died in Florida in 1975.<ref name=sref>{{cite web|title=Ragnar Omtvedt |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/om/ragnar-omtvedt-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418070315/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/om/ragnar-omtvedt-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |accessdate=17 August 2012}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.everettpotter.com/2015/02/snow-flurries-palette-pleasing-high-mountain-restaurants/|title=Ragnar's, Steamboat Springs|publisher=Everett Potter's Travel Report|date=2 February 2015|accessdate=2015-08-04}}</ref>
==Ski jumping world records== {| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left; line-height:16px; width:40%;" ! width="100"|Date ! width="85"|Hill ! width="185"|Location ! width="50"|Metres ! width="50"|Feet |-bgcolor=#FAEBD7 | align=right|16 February 1913 | Curry Hill | Ironwood, United States | align=center|48.2 | align=center|158 |- | align=right|16 February 1913 | Curry Hill | Ironwood, United States | align=center|51.5 | align=center|169 |- | align=right|18 February 1916 | Howelsen Hill | Steamboat Springs, United States | align=center|58.5 | align=center|192.9 |} <small>{{color box|#FAEBD7}} Not recognized! Stood at world record distance, but achieved at professional championships.</small><ref name="Ironwood 1913.2"/>
==References== {{reflist|50em}}
==External links== *[http://www.steamboat.com/winter/dining/ragnars-lunch.aspx Ragnar's Steamboat Mountain Dining] *{{sports links}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Omtvedt, Ragnar}} Category:1890 births Category:1975 deaths Category:Norwegian emigrants to the United States Category:American male Nordic combined skiers Category:American male ski jumpers Category:American male cross-country skiers Category:Olympic Nordic combined skiers for the United States Category:Olympic cross-country skiers for the United States Category:Nordic combined skiers at the 1924 Winter Olympics Category:Cross-country skiers at the 1924 Winter Olympics Category:20th-century American sportsmen