Aksel Lund Svindal

Born December 26, 1982, in Norway, is a World Cup alpine ski racer.

He is a two-time winner of the overall World Cup title　(2007 and 2009),
an Olympic gold medalist at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, and a four-time World Champion in downhill,
giant slalom, and super combined (2007 and 2009 Val d'Isère, and 2011 Garmisch-Partenkirchen).

On November 27, 2007, during the first training run for the downhill race in Beaver Creek, USA,
Svindal crashed badly after landing a jump.
He was immediately taken to Medical Center with broken bones in his face and a six inch (15 cm) laceration.
He missed the remainder of the 2008 season, and returned to World Cup racing in October 2008.
His first two victories following his return were a downhill and a super-G in Beaver Creek,
on the same Birds of Prey course where he was injured the year before.
Fulfilling his comeback during the 2009 season, Svindal won his second overall World Cup.
At the 2010 Winter Olympics Svindal won gold medal in Super G,silver medalist in Downhill
and bronze medalist in Giant Slalom and his silver medal was Norway's hundredth silver medal
at the Winter Olympic Games, making Norway the first nation to win 100 silver medals at the Winter Olympics.
Svindal successfully defended his World Championship in the Super Combined in 2011 in Garmish-Partenkirchen, Germany.