Additional Information
Highlights
| Rank | Event | Year | Location | Result |
|---|
| Olympic Winter Games |
| 1 | Super-G | 2010 | Vancouver, BC, CAN | 1:30.34 |
| 2 | Downhill | 2010 | Vancouver, BC, CAN | 1:54.38 |
| 3 | Giant Slalom | 2010 | Vancouver, BC, CAN | 2:38.44 |
| 5 | Super-G | 2006 | Torino, ITA | 1:31.10 |
| 6 | Giant Slalom | 2006 | Torino, ITA | 2:36.06 |
| 21 | Downhill | 2006 | Torino, ITA | 1:50.90 |
| Super Combined | 2010 | Vancouver, BC, CAN | DNF |
| Slalom | 2006 | Torino, ITA | DNF |
| Combined | 2006 | Torino, ITA | DNF |
| World Championships |
| 1 | Downhill | 2013 | Schladming, AUT | 2:01.32 |
| 1 | Super Combined | 2011 | Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER | 2:54.51 |
| 1 | Super Combined | 2009 | Val d'Isere, FRA | 2:23.00 |
| 1 | Downhill | 2007 | Are, SWE | 1:44.68 |
| 1 | Giant Slalom | 2007 | Are, SWE | 2:19.64 |
| 2 | Combined | 2005 | Bormio, ITA | 3:20.01 |
| 3 | Super-G | 2013 | Schladming, AUT | 1:24.18 |
| 3 | Super-G | 2009 | Val d'Isere, FRA | 1:20.43 |
| 4 | Giant Slalom | 2013 | Schladming, AUT | 2:30.71 |
| 4 | Giant Slalom | 2011 | Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER | 2:11.05 |
| 5 | Downhill | 2011 | Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER | 1:59.83 |
| Super Combined | 2013 | Schladming, AUT | DNF |
| Super-G | 2011 | Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER | DNF |
| World Cup Rankings overview - displays all rankings from 2010/11, top three for earlier seasons |
| Season | ALL | DH | SL | GS | SG | SC |
|---|
| 2013/2014 | 2 | 1 | - | 13 | 1 | 12 |
| 2012/2013 | 2 | 1 | 47 | 7 | 1 | 5 |
| 2011/2012 | 3 | 6 | - | 11 | 1 | 5 |
| 2010/2011 | 4 | 10 | - | 2 | 16 | 5 |
| 2009/2010 | - | - | - | - | 3 | - |
| 2008/2009 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - |
| 2006/2007 | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| 2005/2006 | 2 | - | - | - | 1 | - |
| Best performance per season in World Cup events from 2010/2011 |
| Season | DH | SL | GS | SG | SC | K | CE |
|---|
| 2013/2014 | 2 x 1st | - | 1 x 4th | 2 x 1st | 1 x 5th | - | - |
| 2012/2013 | 1 x 1st | - | 5 x 6th | 4 x 1st | 1 x 14th | 1 x 5th | 1 x 9th |
| 2011/2012 | 1 x 1st | 3 x DNQ | 1 x 4th | 1 x 1st | 1 x 4th | 1 x 10th | 1 x 9th |
| 2010/2011 | 1 x 2nd | 1 x 17th | 1 x 1st | 1 x 3rd | 2 x 3rd | - | 1 x 5th |
| Rank | Event | Year | Location | Result |
|---|
| Ten best World Cup performances in current season |
| 1 | Downhill | 2013/2014 | Bormio, ITA | 1:54.08 |
| 1 | Downhill | 2013/2014 | Beaver Creek, CO, USA | 1:44.50 |
| 1 | Super-G | 2013/2014 | Val Gardena, ITA | 1:35.82 |
| 1 | Super-G | 2013/2014 | Lake Louise, AB, CAN | 1:28.53 |
| 2 | Downhill | 2013/2014 | Kitzbuhel, AUT | 2:03.59 |
| 3 | Downhill | 2013/2014 | Wengen, SUI | 1:32.73 |
| 3 | Super-G | 2013/2014 | Kitzbuhel, AUT | 1:10.53 |
| 4 | Downhill | 2013/2014 | Val Gardena, ITA | 1:56.94 |
| 4 | Downhill | 2013/2014 | Lake Louise, AB, CAN | 1:50.13 |
| 4 | Giant Slalom | 2013/2014 | Solden, AUT | 2:01.23 |
LegendALL-Overall, DH-Downhill, SL-Slalom, GS-Giant Slalom, SG-Super-G, SC-Super Combined, K-Combined, CE-City Event, DNS-Did not start, DNQ-Did not qualify for final run, DNF-Did not finish, DSQ-Disqualified
- Nickname: Axl (redbull.com, 25 Oct 2013)
- Occupation: Athlete
- Languages Spoken: English, German, Norwegian
- Injuries: He pulled out of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi while the event was in progress as a result of allergies and fatigue. (nbcsports.com, 17 Feb 2014)
In October 2009 he bruised his left leg while training in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. As a result he pulled out of the 2009 World Cup slalom race in Levi, Finland, and travelled to Miami, FL, United States, for rehabilitation. (yahoo.com, 11 Nov 2009)
In November 2007 he fell heavily during downhill training in Beaver Creek, CO, United States. He was taken to hospital with a broken cheekbone, a broken nose, lacerations to his face and a 15 centimetre cut to his left buttock. He spent several weeks in hospital and missed the rest of the 2007/08 season. (earthtimes.org, 04 Dec 2008; foxsports.com.au, 28 Nov 2007)
He missed the 2005/06 season due to knee injuries. (nbcolympics.com, 15 Jan 2007)
In 2002 he dislocated his shoulder while wakeboarding and had to rest for several months in order for it to heal. (nbcolympics.com, 15 Jan 2007)
- Hobbies: Cars, water sports. (Facebook page, 20 Jan 2014)
- Family: Partner Julia Macuso
- Sporting Relatives: His partner Julia Mancuso is a US alpine skier and won gold in the giant slalom at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin. (sportsillustrated.cnn.com, 28 Nov 2012)
- Previous Olympics: Vancouver 2010, Torino 2006
Additional Information
Start of sporting careerHe began skiing at age three. (aksellundsvindal.com, 10 Jan 2014)
Reason for taking up this sportHe received a pair of skis on his third birthday. His mother and father were both skiers, and the family used to ski together. "Every holiday we went to Geilo [a ski destination in Norway] and stayed with my grandparents at their cabin, where I learned to ski. As I got a little older we would also go skiing at the smaller hills around Oslo on normal weekday evenings and at the weekends." (aksellundsvindal.com, 09 Mar 2013)
Most memorable sporting achievementHis two overall World Cup titles in 2007 and 2009, and winning three medals at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. (NOC Media Guide, 27 Jan 2014)
HeroNorwegian alpine skier Kjetil Andre Aamodt. (NOC Media Guide, 27 Jan 2014)
AwardsHe was Norway's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. (olympic.org, 07 Feb 2014)
He was named the Role Model of the Year at the 2009 Norwegian Sports Gala. (nbcolympics.com, 17 Nov 2009)
He was named Male Athlete of the Year at the 2008 Norwegian Sports Gala. (nbcolympics.com, 17 Nov 2009)
GeneralFOG DENIES OVERALL TITLE
In March 2013 fog caused the final race of the season in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, to be cancelled. Although the cancellation meant he clinched his first downhill season title, it also prevented him from closing the gap on overall title leader Marcel Hirscher, who does not compete in downhill events. (globalnews.ca, 13 Mar 2013)
NATIONAL FIRST
In February 2013 he became the first Norwegian skier to win at least one gold medal at four consecutive world championships. He received a message of congratulations from the Norwegian prime minister Jens Stoltenberg. (vg.no, 09 Feb 2013; regjeringen.no, 09 Feb 2013)
EARLY DAYS
His mother, who used to take him skiing, died when he was age eight as a result of complications during the birth of his brother. As he grew up his grandparents would take him and his siblings skiing, while their father continued running his company. (aksellundsvindal.com, 09 Mar 2013)
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