Johan Kaggestad was 81 years old and died on Saturday. TV 2, who was Kaggestad’s employer for many years, writes that Kaggestad fell asleep quietly with his loved ones around him. He leaves behind three children. His wife Janette Kaggestad passed away in 2022. Kaggestad worked for a number of years together with Christian Paasche as a cycling commentator on TV 2, where the duo has for many been the very voice of the Tour de France. – It is sad, but at the same time it is good for him that he was allowed to go free now. But it is very strange. When you get over the worst and the sad, you are most grateful that you got to be with him and work with him for so many years, says Paasche to news. – He has been important for the interest in Norwegian cycling. He has been one of the voices you have grown up with. Cycling has a lot to thank Johan Kaggestad for. It is sad that he is passing away, but he has been ill for a long time, says Norway’s biggest cycling profile, Alexander Kristoff. – It is a vessel that you can remember and that those closest to you can be proud of, says Kristoff further. Kaggestad has lived a long life in and around sport. For several seasons he was national team coach in athletics. Among other things, he trained Ingrid Kristiansen and Grete Waitz. He was also an active athlete himself on the national athletics team and as a footballer on the Lyns A team. GOLD: Johan Kaggestad and Ingrid Kristiansen after the latter won WC gold in the 10,000 meters in Rome in 1987. Photo: Knut Snare / Aftenposten Ridder for Tour de France coverage But for most, Kaggestad was a profiled expert commentator on TV 2, especially during the channel’s broadcasts from the Tour de France. In a duo with Christian Paasche, he commented on the cycling race for just over 20 years. In 2012, he was knighted by the French Order of Arts and Letters for his coverage of the Tour de France. DUO: Christian Paasche and Johan Kaggestad commented on the Tour de France for a number of years together on TV 2. Photo: Torbjørn Pedersen / TV 2 Seriously ill In 2020, the same year that he commented on his last ride, diabetes caused his kidneys to collapse. Since then there has been inflammation in the internal organs, and Kaggestad has been taken to hospital to undergo dialysis twice a week. – I don’t have long left, Kaggestad told Dagbladet in December 2022. After he quit as a cycling commentator for TV 2, it was his son Mads who took over the baton. – Everyone told me that I should now jump after Wirkola, that there were big shoes to fill after fatter’n. So I take it seriously and am always well prepared, said Mads Kaggestad to klikk.no. PICTURE OF THE YEAR: This was named picture of the year in 2022. The jury’s reasoning: “When you see such a good portrait, you want to talk to the person in the picture. An open, poignant picture that shows a life in disintegration. A nude portrait photographed with dignity, where you can see the whole life story in the face.” Photo: Anders Grønneberg / Anders Grønneberg Never received an honorary award After the Sports Gala in January, there was a strong debate when Kaggestad did not receive the gala’s honorary award. – He would have been a particularly worthy award winner, said news’s sports commentator Jan Petter Saltvedt. It also caused reactions in Åmot. There, the local people decided to make a torchlight procession, with both a band and a choir, to honor Kaggestad. He himself was present in a wheelchair. Community involvement Johan Kaggestad has also made a name for himself in other arenas. He has been heavily involved in the introduction of physical activity at Modum Bad, the establishment of the Frisklivsentralen in 1996 and the Olympiatoppen in 1988. The latter occurred after Norway had been a big disappointment in the Calgary Olympics. – Sport’s most important role in society is to stimulate good public health. And if there is one thing my father has certainly done, it is to put this very thing in a system at the community level, said his son Mads Kaggestad to news in January. KNIGHT: In 2012, Johan Kaggestad was appointed a knight of the French Order of Art and Literature in Oslo. It was France’s ambassador to Norway, Jean-Marc Rives, who appointed him a knight. Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB Published 24.11.2024, at 16.35 Updated 24.11.2024, at 16.43
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Johan Kaggestad is dead – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
