IL Vestar

Idrettslaget Vestar was a Norwegian sports club from Oslo established in 1953, with sections for team handball and athletics.

It was founded as Vestlendingenes IL, indicating its status as a club for people from Western Norway who had moved to Oslo. It took the name IL Vestar in 1960.[1]

It is best known for its women's handball team, which dominated the First Division for much of the 1970s, winning seven titles in a row between 1972 and 1978. This makes it the championship's second most successful club after Larvik HK.[2] Its major international success was reaching the semifinals of the 1977 European Cup, where it was defeated by SC Leipzig.[3] Its best known players were Karen Fladset, Kristin Midthun, Linn Siri Jensen, Ingrid Steen and Cathrine Svendsen.[1]

In athletics, their best known athlete was sprinter Richard Simonsen.[1] One other sprinter won national gold medals; Kåre Magne Åmot in the 100 metres in 1980 and 1981.[4] Handball player Karen Fladset was also a good discus thrower with two Norwegian championships.[5] Leif Rise won national silver and bronze medals in the discus throw and shot put,[6][7] Astrid Skei won one silver medal in the javelin throw,[8] and John Kristian Johnsen and Oddvin Moland won silver and bronze medals in the triple jump.[9]

Titles

• First Division
  • 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978

References

1. "Idrettslaget Vestar". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Retrieved 10 August 2012.
2. List of champions in bundesligainfo.de
3. Results Archived 2013-10-13 at the Wayback Machine in todor66.com
4. "100 meter". Norwegian Athletics. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
5. "Diskos/Discus Throw". Norwegian Athletics. Archived from the original on 15 December 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
6. "Diskos/Discus Throw". Norwegian Athletics. Archived from the original on 15 December 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
7. "Kule/Shot Put". Norwegian Athletics. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
8. "Spyd/Javelin Throw". Norwegian Athletics. Archived from the original on 15 December 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
9. "Tresteg/Triple Jump". Norwegian Athletics. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.