Raisa Smetanina

Raisa Petrovna Smetanina (Russian: Раиса Петровна Сметанина; born 29 February 1952) is a Soviet and Russian cross-country skiing champion. She is the first woman in history to win ten Winter Olympic medals.

Raisa Smetanina
Smetanina on a 2013 Russian coin
Country Russia
Born29 February 1952 (1952-02-29) (age 70)
Mokhcha, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)
Ski clubVSS
World Cup career
Seasons11 – (1982–1992)
Individual wins3
Team wins3
Indiv. podiums16
Team podiums9
Indiv. starts52
Team starts10
Overall titles0 – (2nd in 1984)
Medal record
Women's cross-country skiing
Representing  Unified Team
Olympic Games
1992 Albertville4 × 5 km relay
Representing Soviet Union
Olympic Games
1976 Innsbruck10 km
1976 Innsbruck4 × 5 km relay
1980 Lake Placid5 km
1976 Innsbruck5 km
1980 Lake Placid4 × 5 km relay
1984 Sarajevo10 km
1984 Sarajevo20 km
1988 Calgary10 km classical
1988 Calgary20 km freestyle
World Championships
1974 Falun4 × 5 km relay
1982 Oslo20 km
1985 Seefeld4 × 5 km relay
1991 Val di Fiemme4 × 5 km relay
1978 Lahti10 km
1982 Oslo4 × 5 km relay
1989 Lahti4 × 5 km relay
1974 Falun5 km
1978 Lahti5 km
1978 Lahti4 × 5 km relay
1980 Falun20 km

Career

Smetanina took part in five Olympics, representing the Soviet team four times and the Unified Team once. In particular, Smetanina won two gold and one silver medals at the 1976 Winter Olympics, becoming the most successful athlete there, along with Rosi Mittermaier of West Germany.[1]

In the 1992 Winter Olympics, at the age of 39, Smetanina won a further gold medal competing for the Unified Team in the 4 × 5 km relay, becoming the first woman to win ten Winter Olympic medals and at that time the oldest woman to win a Winter Olympic gold.

Smetanina also had successes at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, winning four golds (20 km (1982), and 4 × 5 km relay (1974, 1985, and 1991), three silvers (10 km (1978), and 4 × 5 km relay (1982, 1989)), and four bronzes (4 × 5 km relay (1978), 5 km (1974, 1978), and 20 km (1980)). She also won three times at the Holmenkollen ski festival, once in the 10 km (1975) and twice in the 5 km (1975 and 1979).

In 1979 Smetanina received the Holmenkollen medal (shared with Erik Håker and Ingemar Stenmark).[1] She was also awarded Order of Friendship of Peoples (1984).[2]

Cross-country skiing results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[3]

Olympic Games
  • 10 medals – (4 gold, 5 silver, 1 bronze)
 Year   Age   5 km   10 km   15 km   Pursuit   20 km   30 km   4 × 5 km 
 relay 
197623SilverGoldN/AN/AN/AN/AGold
198027Gold4N/AN/AN/AN/ASilver
19843111SilverN/AN/ASilverN/A4
19883510SilverN/AN/ABronzeN/A—
199239—N/A4—N/A—Gold

World Championships
  • 11 medals – (4 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze)
 Year   Age   5 km   10 km 
 classical 		  10 km 
 freestyle 		  15 km   20 km   30 km   4 × 5 km 
 relay 
197421Bronze—N/AN/AN/AN/AGold
197825BronzeSilverN/AN/A5N/ABronze
198027N/AN/AN/AN/ABronzeN/AN/A
19822915—N/AN/AGoldN/ASilver
198532—4N/AN/A7N/AGold
19873449N/AN/A—N/A—
198936N/A5—4N/A—Silver
19913811N/A——N/A—Gold

Season standings
 Season   Age  Overall
19823021
1983318
198432
1985338
19863414
19873510
1988366
19893711
19903813
19913914
19924018

Individual podiums
  • 3 victories
  • 16 podiums
No. Season Date Location Race Level Place
11981–8226 February 1982 Oslo, Norway20 km IndividualWorld Championships[1]1st
2 1982–83 5 March 1983 Lahti, Finland5 km IndividualWorld Cup2nd
3 1983–84 9 February 1984 Sarajevo, Yugoslavia10 km IndividualOlympic Games[1]2nd
418 February 198420 km IndividualOlympic Games[1]2nd
525 February 1984 Falun, Sweden10 km IndividualWorld Cup1st
63 March 1984 Lahti, Finland5 km IndividualWorld Cup2nd
78 March 1984 Oslo, Norway20 km IndividualWorld Cup3rd
824 March 1984 Murmansk, Soviet Union10 km IndividualWorld Cup2nd
91984–8523 February 1985 Syktyvkar, Soviet Union20 km IndividualWorld Cup1st
10 1985–86 15 February 1986 Oberstdorf, West Germany20 km Individual CWorld Cup3rd
1122 February 1986 Kavgolovo, Soviet Union10 km Individual CWorld Cup3rd
12 1986–87 21 March 1987 Oslo, Norway20 km Individual CWorld Cup2nd
13 1987–88 19 December 1987 Reit im Winkl, West Germany5 km Individual FWorld Cup2nd
1414 February 1988 Calgary, Canada10 km Individual COlympic Games[1]2nd
1525 February 198820 km Individual FOlympic Games[1]3rd
16 1989–90 14 January 1990 Moscow, Soviet Union7.5 km Individual CWorld Cup2nd

Team podiums
  • 3 victories
  • 9 podiums
No. Season Date Location Race Level Place Teammates
1 1981–82 24 February 1982 Oslo, Norway4 × 5 km RelayWorld Championships[1]2ndLyadova / Zabolotskaya / Kulakova
2 1983–84 26 February 1984 Falun, Sweden4 × 5 km RelayWorld Cup3rdMarkashanskaya / Zimyatova / Burlakova
31984–8522 January 1985 Seefeld, Austria4 × 5 km RelayWorld Championships[1]1stTikhonova / Vasilchenko / Reztsova
4 1988–89 22 February 1989 Lahti, Finland4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Championships[1]2ndShamshurina / Tikhonova / Välbe
512 March 1989 Falun, Sweden4 × 5 km Relay CWorld Cup2ndLazutina / Tikhonova / Välbe
6 1989–90 4 March 1990 Lahti, Finland4 × 5 km Relay FWorld Cup2ndNageykina / Yegorova / Lazutina
71990–9115 February 1991 Val di Fiemme, Italy4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Championships[1]1stYegorova / Tikhonova / Välbe
815 March 1991 Oslo, Norway4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup2ndNageykina / Tikhonova / Välbe
91991–9218 February 1992 Albertville, France4 × 5 km Relay C/FOlympic Games[1]1stVälbe / Lazutina / Yegorova

Note: 1 Until the 1999 World Championships and the 1994 Olympics, World Championship and Olympic races were included in the World Cup scoring system.

See also

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Raisa Smetanina". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.
  2. Panorama of the 1984 Sports Year (in Russian). Moscow: Physical Culture and Sports publisher. 1985. p. 38.
  3. "SMETANINA Raissa". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
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