Raisa Smetanina


Raisa Petrovna Smetanina is a Soviet/Russian cross-country skiing champion of Komi descent. She is the first woman in history to win ten Winter Olympic medals. 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.
In the 1992 Winter Olympics, at the age of thirty-nine, 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, and 4 × 5 km relay, three silvers, and 4 × 5 km relay ), and four bronzes, 5 km, and 20 km ). She also won three times at the Holmenkollen ski festival, once in the 10 km and twice in the 5 km.
In 1979, Smetanina received the Holmenkollen medal. She was also awarded Order of Friendship of Peoples.

Cross-country skiing results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation.

Olympic Games

Year Age 5 km 10 km 15 km Pursuit 20 km 30 km 4 × 5 km
relay
197623SilverGoldGold
198027Gold4Silver
19843111SilverSilver4
19883510SilverBronze—
199239—4——Gold

World Championships

Year Age 5 km 10 km
classical 		10 km
freestyle 		15 km 20 km 30 km 4 × 5 km
relay
197421Bronze—Gold
197825BronzeSilver5Bronze
198027Bronze
19822915—GoldSilver
198532—47Gold
19873449——
1989365—4—Silver
19913811———Gold

World Cup

Season standings

Individual podiums

No.SeasonDateLocationRaceLevelPlace
11981–8226 February 1982 Oslo, Norway20 km IndividualWorld Championships1st
2 1982–83 5 March 1983 Lahti, Finland5 km IndividualWorld Cup2nd
3 1983–84 9 February 1984 Sarajevo, Yugoslavia10 km IndividualOlympic Games2nd
4 1983–84 18 February 1984 Sarajevo, Yugoslavia20 km IndividualOlympic Games2nd
5 1983–84 25 February 1984 Falun, Sweden10 km IndividualWorld Cup1st
6 1983–84 3 March 1984 Lahti, Finland5 km IndividualWorld Cup2nd
7 1983–84 8 March 1984 Oslo, Norway20 km IndividualWorld Cup3rd
8 1983–84 24 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
11 1985–86 22 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, Yugoslavia5 km Individual FWorld Cup2nd
14 1987–88 14 February 1988 Calgary, Canada10 km Individual COlympic Games2nd
15 1987–88 25 February 1988 Calgary, Canada20 km Individual FOlympic Games3rd
16 1989–90 14 January 1990 Moscow, Soviet Union7.5 km Individual CWorld Cup2nd

Team podiums

No.SeasonDateLocationRaceLevelPlaceTeammates
1 1981–82 24 February 1982 Oslo, Norway4 × 5 km RelayWorld Championships2ndLyadova / 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 Championships1stTikhonova / Vasilchenko / Reztsova
4 1988–89 22 February 1989 Lahti, Finland4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Championships2ndShamshurina / Tikhonova / Välbe
5 1988–89 12 March 1989 Falun, Sweden 4 × 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 Championships1stYegorova / Tikhonova / Välbe
81990–9115 March 1991 Oslo, Norway4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup2ndNageykina / Tikhonova / Välbe
91991–9218 February 1992 Albertville, France4 × 5 km Relay C/FOlympic Games1stVälbe / Lazutina / Yegorova

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