Gunde Svan (born January 12, 1962) is a former Swedish cross country skier and auto racing driver. During his career he won a total of four Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver and one Olympic bronze. In the World Championships he won in total seven golds, three silvers and one bronze. He is currently active as a board member of the International Ski Federation. January 12 is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The term cross-country, when used by itself, can refer to: Cross-country running Cross-country skiing Cross-country equestrianism Cross-country or XC mountain biking Cross-country or XC flying Fell running also known as hill running and mountain running Virgin Cross-Country is a rail franchise in the... A twin-tip shaped downhill ski. ... Auto racing (also known as automobile racing, autosport or motorsport) is a sport involving racing automobiles. ... The International Ski Federation/Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS) is the main international organisation of ski sports. ...

During his skiing career he became known for his dedication and attention to details. For instance he used a lighter alloy on the tips of his ski poles saving four grams. He won two golds (15 km and relay), one bronze (30 km) and one silver (50 km) at the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo. In the 1988 Olympics in Calgary he won two golds for 50 km and relay. He also won the World championship gold seven times and won the World cup five times.

As a competitor in rallycross he got one gold medal in the Swedish Championship and a bronze medal in the FIA European Championship for Rallycross Drivers (1995; Division 1 РGroup N category; with Toyota Celica GT-Four). One of the reasons for getting into another sport was that some people called him a natural skiier while he himself maintained that it's just a matter of will and dedication. He applied the same methods to his driving as his skiing and even built his own reaction-tester to practice the for rallycross eminently important starts. Rallycross is a spectacular form of sprint style automobile racing, held on a closed mixed-surface racing circuit, with modified production or specially built road cars, similar to the World Rally Cars, but with about 250 bhp stronger engines. ... The F̩d̩ration Internationale de lAutomobile, commonly referred to as the FIA, is a non-profit association established in 1904 to represent the interest of motoring organisations and motor car users. ...

After retiring from his athletic career he has worked as the host for some game shows such as the Swedish version of American Gladiators, Fort Boyard and Bingolotto. He has played a seductive lady in En handelsresandes nöd, directed by Svenne Rubin and starring Claes Månsson, Björn Skifs and Gert Klötzke. He has also appeared in numerous commercials. American Gladiators was a TV show which ran between 1989 and 1997. ... Fort Boyard is a French television series, running from 1990 to the current date, that has been remade across the globe, most successfully in the United Kingdom and Sweden. ... Swedish lottery, founded in 1991, broadcasted on Swedish TV4. ... Björn Skifs (born April 20, 1947) is a swedish actor, screenwriter, singer and songwriter. ...

External links

• http://www.gunde.com