Jon Engen (March 9, 1957 – April 26, 2018) was an American skier. ^[1] He competed at the 1988 Winter Olympics, the 1992 Winter Olympics, and the 1994 Winter Olympics, ^[2] taking part in both biathlon, and cross-country skiing. ^[3]

Biography

Engen was born in Oslo, Norway in 1957, ^[1] and learned to ski from the age of four. ^[4] While in Norway, he won junior competition titles and achieved success at a national level. ^[4] After attending the University of Oslo and serving in the Norwegian Army, he moved to America in 1980. ^[1] Three years later, he graduated from the Montana State University, ^{[1] [3]} where he had to study English as a foreign language. ^[4]

In the mid 1980s, Engen began training in an attempt to be selected for the American Olympic team for cross-country skiing, including roller skiing at night. ^[4] Engen eventually qualified for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada. ^[4] He then competed at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, before returning to the country of his birth for the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. ^[4] At the masters level, Engen won more than twenty World Cup medals, including twelve golds. ^[4]

After competing at three Winter Olympics, ^[5] Engen coached cross-country skiing in Sun Valley, ^[6] where he started a Nordic skiing programme. ^[1] Engen was also on the board of the US Ski & Snowboard Association, working for the association for a decade. ^{[1] [4]} He was inducted into the Sun Valley Ski Hall of Fame, ^[3] and just prior to his death, he was awarded with the Al Merrill Nordic Award for services to Nordic skiing. ^[1]

Engen died in April 2018 from pancreatic cancer, ^[4] after being diagnosed with the illness in August 2017. ^[4] In 2019, the Boulder Mountain Tour was held in his memory. ^{[4] [7]}

References

External links

• Jon Engen at IBU
• Jon Engen at FIS (cross-country)
• Jon Engen at Olympedia