Tore Ruud Hofstad is a Norwegian cross-country skier who competed from 1998 to 2010. A freestyle specialist, Hofstad is best noted as a member of the Norwegian relay team during three successful FIS Nordic World Ski Championship campaigns. In total, he won six medals in the World Ski Championships: four golds, one silver, and one bronze. Hofstad has eight individual victories from 2001 to 2005 and presently skis for Lillehammer SK. He suffered long term illness that kept him out for the entire 2008 season, which was diognised as TWAR. In 2009 he was part of the record-setting Norwegian relay team which won the men's 4 � 10 kilometer relay for a record fifth consecutive time. Hofstad expressed joy in being able to prove his doubters wrong, after he had performed well, gaining over ten seconds on Germany's Franz G�ring. Hofstad announced his retirement from professional cross-country skiing in July 2010. Hofstad announced he will be launching a comeback attempt in 2012. 

August 9th, 1979 in Eidsvoll (Age 44)