Kristina Šmigun-Vähi

Kristina Šmigun-Vähi

Kristina Šmigun in Otepää in 2006
Born (1977-02-23) 23 February 1977
Tartu, Estonia
Ski club Oti Sportclub
World Cup career
Seasons 1994–2010
Individual wins 16
Indiv. podiums 49
Updated on 13 December 2009.

Kristina Šmigun-Vähi (born 23 February 1977 in Tartu) is a former and so far most successful Estonian female cross-country skier. Her parents, Anatoli Šmigun and Rutt Rehemaa were both prominent Nordic skiers. Kristina Šmigun-Vähi was coached by her father.

Career

On 12 February 2006, she won the Winter Olympics gold medal for the 7.5 km + 7.5 km double pursuit, becoming the first Estonian woman to win a medal at the Winter Olympics. Four days later, she won a second gold medal in the 10 km classical.

On 15 February 2010, she won her third Olympic medal, a silver in the 10 km freestyle race. With two golds and one silver, Kristina Šmigun-Vähi is the most successful Estonian athlete in Olympic history (summer or winter), tying the record of men's cross-country skier Andrus Veerpalu.

Šmigun-Vähi has also found success at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, earning six medals. This included one gold (2003: 5 km + 5 km double pursuit), three silvers (1999: 15 km, 2003: 10 km, 15 km), and two bronzes (1999, 2003: both in 30 km).

On 2 July 2010, Šmigun-Vähi announced that she will quit her professional sport career to focus on her family and her daughter Victoria-Kris.

In 2015, the International Olympic Committee is retesting samples going back eight years with newer methods and looking for substances that at the time could not be traced. It has said the retesting of the Turin samples had been done but that no information would be provided until the whole process was complete. The International Skiing Federation did not confirm or deny the retired athlete tested positive.[1]

World Cup overall results

Season Overall result
2010 32
2007 11
2006 17
2005 4
2004 5
2003 2
2002 4
2001 10
2000 2

Individual World Cup races

Kristina Šmigun and Kateřina Neumannová in 2006

16 wins (14 Individual, 2 Sprint)

Date Location Race
11 March 2007 Finland Lahti 10k
18 December 2004 Austria Ramsau am Dachstein 15k
28 November 2004 Finland Kuusamo 10k
21 December 2003 Austria Ramsau am Dachstein Pursuit
6 December 2003 Italy Toblach 15k
29 November 2003 Finland Kuusamo Pursuit
22 November 2003 Norway Beitostoelen 10k
4 January 2003 Russia Kavgolovo 5k
23 November 2002 Sweden Kiruna 5k
2 March 2002 Finland Lahti 10k
22 December 2001 Austria Ramsau am Dachstein 15k
3 March 2000 Finland Lahti Sprint
16 February 2000 Switzerland Ulrichen 5k
28 December 1999 Germany Garmisch-Partenkirchen Sprint
10 December 1999 Italy Sappada 10k
12 January 1999 Czech Republic Nové Město 15k

Personal life

Kristina is married to her long-time manager Kristjan-Thor Vähi (07.07.2007). She did not participate in the 2007–08 season due to pregnancy and she also missed the following 2008–2009 season. Her daughter Victoria-Kris was born in June 2008. Kristina had a son in March 2011.

See also

References

External links

Awards
Preceded by
Erika Salumäe
Estonian Sportswoman of the Year
1997
Succeeded by
Jane Salumäe
Preceded by
Jane Salumäe
Estonian Sportswoman of the Year
19992000
Succeeded by
Heidi Rohi
Preceded by
Heidi Rohi
Estonian Sportswoman of the Year
20022004
Succeeded by
Maarika Võsu
Preceded by
Maarika Võsu
Estonian Sportswoman of the Year
2006
Succeeded by
Irina Embrich
Preceded by
Ksenija Balta
Estonian Sportswoman of the Year
2010
Succeeded by
Triin Aljand
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, November 22, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.