JERNBERG, SIXTEN

born Feb. 6, 1929, Lima, Sweden Swedish Nordic skier who won nine Olympic medals in cross-country skiing competition. Originally a lumberjack by trade, Jernberg first came to prominence as a skier in the 1954 world championships. He won four Winter Games gold medals: for the 50-km race (1956 and 1964) and the 30-km race (1960) and as a member of the Swedish 410-km relay team (1964). He also won three silver and two bronze medals and seven consecutive Swedish Nordic titles (195460). Jernberg retired after the Winter Games of 1964 in Innsbruck, Austria, and was proclaimed a Swedish national hero.