PHOTO: Bildbyrån
They have a lot in common.
Both come from Dalarna and have dominated their respective sports.
That is why there is so much respect when Gunde Svan gives the most powerful tribute to Tony Rickardsson.
Many successful Swedish sporting heroes have come from the deep forests of Dalarna. But two of the very foremost must still be the icons Gunde Swan and Tony Rickardssonwho have had such incredible careers.
Gunde and Tony
Svan from little Skamhed in Järna was the world’s best skier in the 1980s and won four Olympic golds, seven World Cup golds, both the Jerring Prize and the Bragdguldet and the overall World Cup five times. To this day, he is one of our most successful cross-country skiers of all time.
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Rickardsson from Avesta can also look back on an unparalleled career in speedway. With six individual WC golds, one gold in the couple WC, two golds in the team WC, six SM golds as well as both the Bragdguldet and the Jerring prize, he is a true icon.
Powerful tribute
Their paths crossed when Gunde invited Swedish sports profiles he was curious about to the TV program “In the head of Gunde Svan”. Then the skiing icon got a completely new image of Tony Rickardsson and is full of admiration for what he has managed to achieve in life.
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When Svan had the opportunity to highlight his favorite athletes from Dalarna, Tony was one of the most popular names on that list. Gunde gives one of the most powerful tributes to the motoring legend.
– Here we can really talk about an athlete who did not have everything arranged for him in his venture. It hasn’t been a bed of roses, and Tony hasn’t had it served on a silver platter. I got the chance to get to know him during my TV program about different athletes, says Gunde Svan to the site Sport in Dalarna.
– It was incredible to see the work he put in together with his father in the garage at home in Avesta. Tony kept inheriting stuff from his brother, bikes, engines, tires and more. How things were rebuilt in the garage, there is so much work behind it. Tony is a great sports guy.
Do you think Tony Rickardsson is one of our biggest sporting heroes ever? Share the article and have your say!
READ MORE: A mockery of Tony Rickardsson in Mästarnas mäster – so unworthy of one of our greatest athletes ever
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