Talent scholarships for Westvold Hansen and Reponen

Finland’s Perttu Reponen and Norwegian World Champion Gyda Westvold Hansen were awarded with talent scholarships following their successful 2020/21 season.

In Finland, long-term sponsor Europcar annually awards a scholarship to a young promising combined athlete.

In the 2020-21 season, Reponen competed in the World Championships for the first time, and also claimed World Cup points several times. He was 7th in the FIS Junior World Championships. At only 19- years of age, the young athlete has risen to the national team, and earned his place there.

In 1998, the Norwegian Ski Association received an anonymous monetary gift of NOK 800,000. A wish from the donor was to support young athletes in the starting pit of what could be a high-level skiing career. This year, a scholarship of 50,000 is given to each of four athletes, one of them Women’s Nordic Combined World Champion Gyda Westvold Hansen.

The scholarship will be used for expenses at training sessions, competitions or for equipment that the athlete needs to practice his sport. The athletes are nominated by a committee with members who take care of all Nordic branches, biathlon, the athlete perspective and international experience. The jury for the award in 2021 has consisted of the Ski Association's chairman Stian Berger Røsland, Ski President Erik Røste and the Ski Association's general secretary Erik Eide.

Westvold Hansen is an international role model in Nordic Combined. With her development-oriented focus and her outstanding achievements on the slopes and track, she has set a new and high standard for sporting development and the level of teammates and competitors in a new and growing sport for women.