Cato Zahl Pedersen

Cato Zahl Pedersen

Personal information
Born	(1959-01-12) 12 January 1959 (age 66) Drøbak, Frogn Municipality, Norway
Sport
Sport	Para alpine skiing Paralympic athletics Para cross-country skiing
Medal record Representing  Norway Winter Paralympics Para alpine skiing 1980 Geilo Slalom 3B 1980 Geilo Giant slalom 3B 1988 Innsbruck Downhill LW5/7 1988 Innsbruck Giant slalom LW5/7 1994 Lillehammer Slalom LW5/7 1994 Lillehammer Super-G LW5/7 1994 Lillehammer Downhill LW5/7 Para cross-country skiing 1980 Geilo 10km 3B Summer Paralympics 1980 Arnhem 100m E1 1980 Arnhem 400m E1 1980 Arnhem 1500m E1 1980 Arnhem Long jump E1 1984 Stoke Mandeville / New York 1500m A5 1984 Stoke Mandeville / New York 5000m A5

Cato Zahl Pedersen (born 12 January 1959) is a Norwegian skier and multiple Paralympic gold medal winner. He has won a total of fourteen medals (thirteen gold, one silver) at the Paralympic Games, in both Winter and Summer Paralympics. ^[1] He has no arms, having lost both in a childhood accident. ^[2]

He competed in track and field athletics at the 1980 and 1984 Summer Paralympics, winning six gold medals. He took part in the Summer Games again in 2000, this time in sailing, but did not medal. At the Winter Paralympics, he competed in alpine skiing four times, in 1980, 1984, 1988 and 1994. At the 1980 and 1984 Winter Games he also took part in cross-country skiing, winning one gold in 1980. ^[3]

Pedersen took the athletes' oath on behalf of all competitors at the 1994 Winter Paralympics in Lillehammer. ^[4]

In 1994/1995, Pedersen took part in a successful four-person Norwegian skiing expedition to the South Pole. He dragged his 200-pound sledge the whole distance, using the prosthetic hook on his right hand to hold a single ski pole. ^[5] He has also climbed Cho Oyu, the 7th highest mountain, in 2005, and almost reached the top of Mount Everest in 2007.

References

1. "The Heroes We Need" Archived 2008-03-24 at the Wayback Machine , Paralympics: Where Heroes Come
2. "South Pole Epic Ends in Apres-Ski Party", New York Times, January 6, 1995
3. "Athlete Search Results". International Paralympic Committee. 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
4. "Lillehammer 1994", International Paralympic Committee
5. "South Pole Epic Ends in Apres-Ski Party", New York Times, January 6, 1995

External links

• Cato Zahl Pedersen at the International Paralympic Committee
• Cato Zahl Pedersen at Olympedia