Kristin Størmer Steira


Kristin Størmer Steira is a retired Norwegian cross-country skier. She competed from 2002 to 2015, and won six individual World Cup victories and five individual medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships and Winter Olympic Games. She also won four gold medals with the Norway relay team. In Norwegian media, Steira was dubbed "the eternal fourth" due to her many finishes in fourth place.

Career

At the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, she has seven medals with two gold, two silvers, and three bronzes.
Steira finished fourth in three individual events at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. She has four individual career victories at various levels from 2002 to 2006. In 2009 Steira extended her interests to track athletics and announced her ambition to compete in the 5000 metres at the 2010 European Athletics Championships after achieving a time of 16.02 in Norway. She never did.
In the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, she came eighth in the 10 km pursuit. More agonisingly, she achieved her fourth fourth-place Olympic finish in the 15 km pursuit, losing out on a medal by 0.1 seconds in a photo finish with Justyna Kowalczyk. This, along with her many fourth places previously, led to Norwegian media jokingly labelling her as "the eternal fourth". On 25 February 2010 Steira became an Olympic champion in the 4 × 5 km relay, racing in the third leg after Vibeke Skofterud and Therese Johaug and before Marit Bjørgen.
She qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, where she became 23rd in 15 kilometre skiathlon. In the last event, 30 km mass start freestyle, she finally won the bronze, her only individual medal of the Winter Olympics.
On 20 April 2015, Steira announced her retirement from professional skiing.

Cross-country skiing results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation.

Olympic Games

Year Age 10 km 15 km Pursuit 30 km Sprint 4 × 5 km
relay 		Team
sprint
200321——2825——
2005239Bronze——Gold—
2007254BronzeSilver—Bronze—
2009276Silver5—4—
2011291095—Gold—
201331949—Gold—

World Cup

Season standings

Individual podiums

No.SeasonDateLocationRaceLevelPlace
12004–0528 January 2007 Ramsau, Austria15 km Mass Start FWorld Cup2nd
22004–0522 January 2005 Pragelato, Italy7.5 km + 7.5 km Pursuit C/FWorld Cup1st
32005–0619 March 2006 Sapporo, Japan7.5 km + 7.5 km Pursuit C/FWorld Cup2nd
42006–072 January 2007 Oberstdorf, Germany5 km + 5 km Pursuit C/FStage World Cup1st
52006–073 January 2007 Oberstdorf, Germany10 km Individual CStage World Cup2nd
62006–073 January 2007 Cavalese, Italy10 km Individual FStage World Cup2nd
72007–088 December 2007 Davos, Switzerland10 km Individual CWorld Cup3rd
82007–081 January 2008 Nové Město, Czech Republic10 km Pursuit FStage World Cup2nd
92007–086 January 2008 Val di Fiemme, Italy9 km Pursuit FStage World Cup2nd
102008–096 December 2008 La Clusaz, France15 km Mass Start FWorld Cup1st
112008–094 January 2009 Val di Fiemme, Italy9 km Pursuit FStage World Cup2nd
122008–0922 March 2009 Falun, Sweden10 km Pursuit FStage World Cup1st
132009–102 January 2010 Oberhof, Germany10 km Pursuit CStage World Cup3rd
142009–1010 January 2010 Val di Fiemme, Italy9 km Pursuit FStage World Cup1st
152009–1013 March 2010 Oslo, Norway30 km Mass Start FWorld Cup2nd
162009–1020 March 2010 Falun, Sweden5 km + 5 km Pursuit C/FStage World Cup2nd
172009–1021 March 2010 Falun, Sweden10 km Pursuit FStage World Cup2nd
182010–1118 December 2010 La Clusaz, France15 km Mass Start FWorld Cup3rd
192012–135 January 2013 Val di Fiemme, Italy10 km Mass Start CStage World Cup2nd
202012–1329 December 2012
– 6 January 2013		 Tour de SkiOverall StandingsWorld Cup3rd
212012–132 February 2013 Sochi, Russia7.5 km + 7.5 km Skiathlon C/FWorld Cup1st
222012–1317 February 2013 Davos, Switzerland10 km Individual FWorld Cup3rd

Team podiums

No.SeasonDateLocationRaceLevelPlaceTeammates
12002–0319 January 2003 Nové Město, Czech Republic4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup2ndMoen / Bjørgen / Pedersen
22002–0323 March 2003 Falun, Sweden4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup2ndMoen / Pedersen / Skari
32003–0423 November 2003 Beitostølen, Norway4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stSkofterud / Pedersen / Bjørgen
42003–0411 January 2004 Otepää, Estonia4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stSkofterud / Pedersen / Bjørgen
52003–0422 February 2004 Umeå, Sweden4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stSkofterud / Bjørgen / Pedersen
62006–0719 November 2006 Gällivare, Sweden4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stSkofterud / Pedersen / Bjørgen
72006–074 February 2007 Davos, Switzerland4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup2ndJacobsen / Skofterud / Bjørgen
82007–089 December 2007 Davos, Switzerland4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stStemland / Johaug / Skofterud
92007–0824 February 2008 Falun, Sweden4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stTyldum / Jacobsen / Bjørgen
102008–0923 November 2008 Gällivare, Sweden4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stBjørgen / Johaug / Kristoffersen
112008–097 December 2008 La Clusaz, France4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup3rdStemland / Johaug / Nilsen
122009–1022 November 2009 Beitostølen, Norway4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup2ndSkofterud / Johaug / Bjørgen
132009–107 March 2010 Lahti, Finland4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stKristoffersen / Johaug / Bjørgen
142010–1121 November 2010 Gällivare, Sweden4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stSkofterud / Johaug / Bjørgen
152010–1119 December 2010 La Clusaz, France4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stSkofterud / Johaug / Bjørgen
162011–1221 November 2011 Sjusjøen, Norway4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stSkofterud / Johaug / Bjørgen
172012–1320 January 2013 La Clusaz, France4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stWeng / Johaug / Bjørgen
182013–148 December 2013 Lillehammer, Norway4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stWeng / Johaug / Bjørgen

Personal life

Steira lives in Drøbak, near Oslo, in Norway. She married Canadian skier Devon Kershaw, her boyfriend since December 2012, on 25 July 2015.