Laila Schou Nilsen

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Women’s alpine skiing
Olympic medal record
Bronze	1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen	Combined

Laila Schou Nilsen (18 March 1919 - 30 July 1998) was a Norwegian speed skater, alpine skiier and tennis player. She was one of the pioneers in Norwegian as well as international speed skating for women.

She won an unofficial World Championship for women at Frogner stadion in 1935. Under the World Championships at Davos, Switzerland in 1937, she won all four distances (500 m, 1000 m, 3000 m, and 5000 m) in world record time. She also won the World Championships in Oslo in 1938. The record on the 500 m (46,4) lasted until 1955, when Tamara Rylova of the Soviet Union beat it at the Medeo track in Alma Ata. Her record on 1500 m lasted until 1950.

Laila Schou Nilsen became Norwegian champion of speed skating in 1935, 1937, 1939, and 1940.

At the 1936 Winter Olympic Games, she won the bronze in the alpine combined. For this, she was the same year awarded the Egebergs ærespris for her achievements in alpine skiing, in speed skating, but also in tennis, where sho won a number of Norwegian championships.

She was also a member of the national team in handball, and participated in the Rallye Monte Carlo in 1963.