Joachim B. Olsen
Encyclopedia
Joachim Brøchner Olsen (born 31 May 1977 in Aalborg
, Denmark
) is a Danish
politician and former world class shot put
ter. He was elected to the Danish parliament
at the 2011 election, representing the Liberal Alliance in Greater Copenhagen.
He represents Århus 1900.
With ten straight international finals, Joachim holds the longest string of appearances in finals at Olympic, World
and European Championships among throwers.
From October 2003, Olsen was coached by former olympic finalist Vesteinn Hafsteinsson
.
From February 2007 until Joachim B. Olsen ended his career in July 2009, Olsen was coached by Simon Patrick Stewart
.
, but after switching shot put
technique from the glide style to rotational style, he improved dramatically during his four years at University of Idaho
, where he was coached by Tim Taylor.
Although he appeared at the World Junior Championships in Sydney 1996, where he threw the Discus
, it was at the U23 European Championships in Gothenburg
in 1999 he made his first international impact, winning a silver medal. At the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
, Joachim B. Olsen did not qualify for the final. Nevertheless he received worldwide attention after he wrote in a chat room
that the winner of the final, Arsi Harju
had failed a doping test. The rumour was false, and the incident caused the Danish National Olympic Committee
to send Joachim B. Olsen home prior to the closing of the Games.
At the 2001 World Championships in Athletics
Joachim B. Olsen qualified for his first international final. Since then he has qualified for every final at Olympic, World and European Championships.
In 2002 Olsen won the silver medal at the European Championships outdoor as well as indoor. In 2003 a hand injury held him back, but a revised training plan removed the pain in his wrist. Thus Olsen was ready for a comeback in 2004, and at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships
he won a Bronze medal - a placement he repeated at the Olympic Games
in Athens.
On 6 November 2005 Olsen injured his right ankle during practise. Several ligaments were either torn or severely damaged. On 6 February 2006 he announced, that the injury had healed sufficiently for him to compete again at highest level. A month later, at the World Indoor Championships
, he managed to win a bronze medal with a throw of 21.16 metres.
On 8 August 2008 at the opening ceremony
of the Beijing Olympics, Olsen was the flagbearer for Denmark
. Due to injuries it was his only second competitive event of the year and he failed to reach the final.
In 2008 Joachim Olsen became well known in the Danish publicity by his participation in, and winning of, the fifth season of the Danish version of Dancing with the Stars.
On 22 July 2009, he announced his withdrawal from shot putting, saying that while he had a dream of competing at the 2012 Summer Olympics
, his physique would not allow it. He suffered a slipped disc
in April 2009.
Aalborg
-Transport:On the north side of the Limfjord is Nørresundby, which is connected to Aalborg by a road bridge Limfjordsbroen, an iron railway bridge Jernbanebroen over Limfjorden, as well as a motorway tunnel running under the Limfjord Limfjordstunnelen....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
) is a Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
politician and former world class shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
ter. He was elected to the Danish parliament
Folketing
The Folketing , is the national parliament of Denmark. The name literally means "People's thing"—that is, the people's governing assembly. It is located in Christiansborg Palace, on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen....
at the 2011 election, representing the Liberal Alliance in Greater Copenhagen.
He represents Århus 1900.
With ten straight international finals, Joachim holds the longest string of appearances in finals at Olympic, World
IAAF World Championships in Athletics
The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations . Originally, it was organised every four years, but this changed in 1991, and it has since been organised biennially.-History:...
and European Championships among throwers.
From October 2003, Olsen was coached by former olympic finalist Vesteinn Hafsteinsson
Vésteinn Hafsteinsson
Vésteinn Hafsteinsson is a retired discus thrower from Iceland, who represented his native country at four consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1984. At the Los Angeles summer Olympic Games he tested positive for nandralone. His personal best is 67.64 metres, thrown on May 31, 1989 in Selfoss...
.
From February 2007 until Joachim B. Olsen ended his career in July 2009, Olsen was coached by Simon Patrick Stewart
Simon Patrick Stewart
Simon Patrick Stewart is a professional coach and retired Shot putter from USA. Now lives in Århus, Denmark.-Coaching career:Technical Coach*Shot put: Trine Mulbjerg, Coach, Elite Center West*Discus, Coach, Elite Center West...
.
Career
In his teens Joachim primarily focused on the discus throwDiscus throw
The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
, but after switching shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
technique from the glide style to rotational style, he improved dramatically during his four years at University of Idaho
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
, where he was coached by Tim Taylor.
Although he appeared at the World Junior Championships in Sydney 1996, where he threw the Discus
Discus
Discus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...
, it was at the U23 European Championships in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
in 1999 he made his first international impact, winning a silver medal. At the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Joachim B. Olsen did not qualify for the final. Nevertheless he received worldwide attention after he wrote in a chat room
Chat room
The term chat room, or chatroom, is primarily used by mass media to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing...
that the winner of the final, Arsi Harju
Arsi Harju
Arsi Ilari Harju is a Finnish shot putter with the team Perhon kiri. He won the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics with a distance of 21.29 metres. His personal best is 21.39, which he put in the qualifiers for the same Olympics. Due to his success in the Olympics and elsewhere that year,...
had failed a doping test. The rumour was false, and the incident caused the Danish National Olympic Committee
National Olympic Committee
National Olympic Committees are the national constituents of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, they are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games...
to send Joachim B. Olsen home prior to the closing of the Games.
At the 2001 World Championships in Athletics
2001 World Championships in Athletics
The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...
Joachim B. Olsen qualified for his first international final. Since then he has qualified for every final at Olympic, World and European Championships.
In 2002 Olsen won the silver medal at the European Championships outdoor as well as indoor. In 2003 a hand injury held him back, but a revised training plan removed the pain in his wrist. Thus Olsen was ready for a comeback in 2004, and at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships
2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 10th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Budapest Arena, Hungary between March 5 and March 7, 2004...
he won a Bronze medal - a placement he repeated at the Olympic Games
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens.
On 6 November 2005 Olsen injured his right ankle during practise. Several ligaments were either torn or severely damaged. On 6 February 2006 he announced, that the injury had healed sufficiently for him to compete again at highest level. A month later, at the World Indoor Championships
2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 11th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations was held in Moscow from March 10 to March 12, 2006 in the Olimpiyski Sport arena....
, he managed to win a bronze medal with a throw of 21.16 metres.
On 8 August 2008 at the opening ceremony
Opening ceremony
An opening ceremony is the official opening of a building or event. The opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup are huge events involving thousands of participants and watched by a massive worldwide audience. On a much smaller scale, some ceremonies mark the opening of a...
of the Beijing Olympics, Olsen was the flagbearer for Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. Due to injuries it was his only second competitive event of the year and he failed to reach the final.
In 2008 Joachim Olsen became well known in the Danish publicity by his participation in, and winning of, the fifth season of the Danish version of Dancing with the Stars.
On 22 July 2009, he announced his withdrawal from shot putting, saying that while he had a dream of competing at the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
, his physique would not allow it. He suffered a slipped disc
Spinal disc herniation
A spinal disc herniation , informally and misleadingly called a "slipped disc", is a medical condition affecting the spine due to trauma, lifting injuries, or idiopathic, in which a tear in the outer, fibrous ring of an intervertebral disc allows the soft, central portion A spinal disc herniation...
in April 2009.
Achievements
| Representing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | World Championships 2001 World Championships in Athletics The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America... |
Edmonton, Canada | 11th | 20.38 m 2001 World Championships in Athletics – Men's shot put The Men's Shot Put event at the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton, Canada was held on Saturday August 4, 2001. There were a total number of 30 participating athletes, with the qualification mark set at 20.45 metres.-Medalists:-Schedule:... |
| 2004 | Olympic Games Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics At the 2004 Summer Olympics, the athletics events were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 18 to August 29, except for the marathons , the race walks , and the shot put... |
Athens, Greece | 3rd | 21.07 m |
| 2006 | European Championships | Gothenburg Gothenburg Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area... , Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
3rd | 21.09 m 2006 European Athletics Championships – Men's shot put The men's shot put at the 2006 European Athletics Championships were held at the Ullevi on August 7.Bartels was outside the podium before the final attempt, having managed 20.57 in his first five, whereas Mikhnevich and Olsen had achieved their best attempts in round two... |
External links
- Danish Athletics Federation - profile - Joachim Olsen
- University of Idaho - Vandal Athletics Hall of Fame - Joachim Olsen
- sports-reference