Ståle Sandbech

Sandbech comes from Rykkinn in Bærum and competes for the club BSK Snowboard.{{cite web|url=http://www.snowboardforbundet.no/landslag/freestyle/stale-sandbech/ |title=Ståle Sandbech |language=Norwegian|publisher=Snowboardforbundet |accessdate=10 February 2014}} He started snowboarding at the age of eight and, in 2007, was invited to the rookie-competition of The Arctic Challenge. The organizer of TAC Terje Håkonsen said Sandbech was the best 13-year-old snowboarder in Norway at the time.{{cite web |url=http://www.kjendis.no/2007/02/28/493566.html |title=Norges beste 13-åring |access-date=10 February 2014 |first=Charlott Lokland |last=Pettersen |date=2 March 2007 |work=kjendis.no |language=Norwegian |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222062140/http://www.kjendis.no/2007/02/28/493566.html |archive-date=22 February 2014 }}

Sandbech represented Norway at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, becoming the youngest Norwegian to go to the Olympics since Sonja Henie represented Norway at the 1928 Winter Olympics 82 years earlier.{{cite web|url=http://www.vg.no/sport/snowboard/artikkel.php?artid=586448 |title=Han kan bli Norges yngste OL-deltaker på 82 år |date=8 January 2010 |language=Norwegian |newspaper=Verdens Gang |first=Gunnar |last=Bøthun |accessdate=10 February 2014}} Sandbech won the World Snowboarding Tour in freestyle in 2011–12.

Sandbech won a bronze medal in Big Air at the 2013 Winter X Games, where his countryman Torstein Horgmo won gold.{{cite news |url=http://www.dagbladet.no/2013/01/26/sport/torstein_horgmo/snowboard/mats_zuccarello_aasen/andreas_thorkildsen/25451336/ |language=Norwegian |title=– Sykt fett. Beste i verden! |newspaper=Dagbladet |first=Roy |last=Wahlstrøm |date=26 January 2013 |accessdate=10 February 2014}} Four Norwegians qualified for the Big Air final in the 2014 games, with Sandbech placing the highest and winning the bronze medal.{{cite news |url=http://www.aftenposten.no/100Sport/mesterskap/Stale-Sandbech-holdt-igjen_-men-tok-bronse-i-X-Games-414515_1.snd |language=Norwegian |title=Ståle Sandbech holdt igjen, men tok bronse i X Games |newspaper=Aftenposten |first=Christian Skare |last=Stendal |date=25 January 2014 |accessdate=10 February 2014}} The next day, he won another bronze medal in slopestyle.{{cite news |url=http://www.dagbladet.no/2014/01/25/sport/x_games/snowboard/torstein_horgmo/31479846/ |language=Norwegian |title=Ståle Sandbech sikret Norge ny medalje i X Games |newspaper=Dagbladet |first=Thomas |last=Haarstad |date=25 January 2014 |accessdate=10 February 2014}}

At the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sandbech participated in slopestyle, the first time it was included in an Olympic program. He tried a triple cork in his first run but failed to land it. He had a successful second run, and with 91.75 points, he placed second behind Sage Kotsenburg. It was Norway's first medal in the 2014 Olympics.{{cite news |url=http://www.dagbladet.no/2014/02/08/sport/ol2014/sotsji2014/stale_sanbech/31704072/ |language=Norwegian |title='Ståle Sandbech tok Norges første medalje |newspaper=Dagbladet |first=Synee |last=Kvam |date=8 February 2014 |accessdate=10 February 2014}} Former snowboarder and Norwegian TV 2 commentator, Andreas Wiig, and the Swedish slopestyle competitor, Sven Thorgren, both stated that Sandbech should have won the gold as he performed better than Kotsenburg in their opinions.{{cite news |url=http://www.tv2.no/2014/02/08/sport/slopestyle/stale-sandbech/vintersport/5299144 |language=Norwegian |title=TV 2s ekspert: – Ståle Sandbech burde fått gullet |work=TV2 |first1=Lasse Bjarte |last1=Hove |first2=Elin |last2=Flaglien |date=8 February 2014 |accessdate=10 February 2014}}

Sandbech competed in the 2015 Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado, where he placed 5th in Men's BigAir and earned a silver medal in Slopestyle. The following year during the 2016 Winter X Games, Sandbech placed 5th in BigAir and 7th in Slopestyle.

During the 2017 Winter X Games, he placed 5th in Big Air and just off the podium of Slopestyle in only 4th place with a score of 85.66. While Sandbech did compete during the 2019 Winter X Games, he did not make it into any finals.

During the 2018 Winter Olympics, Sandbech competed in Big Air and slopestyle, where he finished just outside the podium in [https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/pyeongchang-2018/results/snowboard/mens-slopestyle 4th]. At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Sandbech qualified in 4th for the slopestyle final, where he finished 11th.[https://medias1.fis-ski.com/pdf/2022/SB/6065/2022SB6065RLQ.pdf Qualification results]{{Cite web |date=7 February 2022 |title=Beijing 2022 Men's Snowboard Slopestyle Results |url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/beijing-2022/results/snowboard/men-snowboard-slopestyle |website=Olympics}} In the big air event, Sandbech placed 16th in the qualifier and did not advance to the final competition.[https://data.fis-ski.com/pdf/2022/SB/6080/2022SB6080RLQ.pdf Qualification results]

Sandbech placed 2nd with a score of 80.43 at the 2022 [https://open.laax.com/en LAAX Open], earning himself a silver medal.

{{Reflist}}

• {{FIS snowboarder|143600|Staale Sandbech}}
• {{Olympics.com|staale-sandbech|Staale Sandbech}}
• {{Olympedia|119632|Ståle Sandbech}}
• {{X Games profile|old_id=3015431|name=Ståle Sandbech}}
• {{Team Norway|brett/stale-sandbech|Ståle Sandbech}}

{{Footer World Champions SB Big Air Men}}

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Category:1993 births

Category:Living people

Category:Sportspeople from Bærum

Category:Norwegian male snowboarders

Category:Olympic snowboarders for Norway

Category:Snowboarders at the 2010 Winter Olympics

Category:Snowboarders at the 2014 Winter Olympics

Category:Snowboarders at the 2018 Winter Olympics

Category:Snowboarders at the 2022 Winter Olympics

Category:Medalists at the 2014 Winter Olympics

Category:Olympic silver medalists for Norway

Category:Olympic medalists in snowboarding

Category:X Games competitors

Category:21st-century Norwegian sportsmen