Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Thor Oluf Helland |
Nationality | Norwegian |
Born | Sørfold, Nordland | 10 December 1936
Died | 2 August 2021 | (aged 84)
Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
Weight | 65 kg (143 lb) |
Sport | |
Event | 5,000 metres |
Achievements and titles | |
Personal best | 13.37.4 (1965) |
Thor Helland (10 December 1936 – 2 August 2021 [1]) was a Norwegian long-distance runner who specialized in the 5000 metres.
Helland was born in Sørfold, Nordland.
At the 1964 Summer Olympics he finished eighth in the 5000m final in 13:57.0 minutes. [2] He became Norwegian champion 12 times in the years 1961 to 1967. [3] He represented the club IL i BUL. [4]
His personal best time was 13:37.4 minutes, achieved in June 1965 in Helsinki. [5] He held the Norwegian record for 3000m three times, 5000m two times, and 10,000m once. [6] He also held the Nordic record for 5000m and 3000m in 1965.
He and his wife, Unni Helland (a prominent athlete herself) have contributed a great deal to their club IL i BUL as coaches. In 2020 they were still actively training and supporting the new generation of athletes. [7]
Thor and Unni Helland lived in Oslo, Norway and have two children together, Ståle (b.1961) and Lasse (b.1963). They also have two granddaughters: Anine (b.1992) and Emilie Josephine (b.1993).