Raisa Smetanina

In this name that follows East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Petrovna and the family name is Smetanina.

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

Raisa Smetanina
Smetanina on a 2013 Russian coin
Country	Russia
Born	(1952-02-29) 29 February 1952 (age 73) Mokhcha, Izhemsky District, Komi ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.61 m (5 ft 3 in)
Ski club	VSS
World Cup career
Seasons	11 – (1982–1992)
Indiv. starts	52
Indiv. podiums	16
Indiv. wins	3
Team starts	10
Team podiums	9
Team wins	3
Overall titles	0 – (2nd in 1984)
Medal record Women's cross-country skiing Representing  Unified Team Olympic Games 1992 Albertville 4 × 5 km relay Representing Soviet Union Olympic Games 1976 Innsbruck 10 km 1976 Innsbruck 4 × 5 km relay 1980 Lake Placid 5 km 1976 Innsbruck 5 km 1980 Lake Placid 4 × 5 km relay 1984 Sarajevo 10 km 1984 Sarajevo 20 km 1988 Calgary 10 km classical 1988 Calgary 20 km freestyle World Championships 1974 Falun 4 × 5 km relay 1982 Oslo 20 km 1985 Seefeld 4 × 5 km relay 1991 Val di Fiemme 4 × 5 km relay 1978 Lahti 10 km 1982 Oslo 4 × 5 km relay 1989 Lahti 4 × 5 km relay 1974 Falun 5 km 1978 Lahti 5 km 1978 Lahti 4 × 5 km relay 1980 Falun 20 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
1976	23	Silver	Gold	—	—	—	—	Gold
1980	27	Gold	4	—	—	—	—	Silver
1984	31	11	Silver	—	—	Silver	—	4
1988	35	10	Silver	—	—	Bronze	—	—
1992	39	—	—	4	—	—	—	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
1974	21	Bronze	—	—	—	—	—	Gold
1978	25	Bronze	Silver	—	—	5	—	Bronze
1980	27	—	—	—	—	Bronze	—	—
1982	29	15	—	—	—	Gold	—	Silver
1985	32	—	4	—	—	7	—	Gold
1987	34	4	9	—	—	—	—	—
1989	36	—	5	—	4	—	—	Silver
1991	38	11	—	—	—	—	—	Gold

World Cup

Season standings

Season	Age	Overall
1982	30	21
1983	31	8
1984	32
1985	33	8
1986	34	14
1987	35	10
1988	36	6
1989	37	11
1990	38	13
1991	39	14
1992	40	18

Individual podiums

• 3 victories
• 16 podiums

No.	Season	Date	Location	Race	Level	Place
1	1981–82	26 February 1982	Oslo, Norway	20 km Individual	World Championships[1]	1st
2	1982–83	5 March 1983	Lahti, Finland	5 km Individual	World Cup	2nd
3	1983–84	9 February 1984	Sarajevo, Yugoslavia	10 km Individual	Olympic Games[1]	2nd
4		18 February 1984		20 km Individual	Olympic Games[1]	2nd
5		25 February 1984	Falun, Sweden	10 km Individual	World Cup	1st
6		3 March 1984	Lahti, Finland	5 km Individual	World Cup	2nd
7		8 March 1984	Oslo, Norway	20 km Individual	World Cup	3rd
8		24 March 1984	Murmansk, Soviet Union	10 km Individual	World Cup	2nd
9	1984–85	23 February 1985	Syktyvkar, Soviet Union	20 km Individual	World Cup	1st
10	1985–86	15 February 1986	Oberstdorf, West Germany	20 km Individual C	World Cup	3rd
11		22 February 1986	Kavgolovo, Soviet Union	10 km Individual C	World Cup	3rd
12	1986–87	21 March 1987	Oslo, Norway	20 km Individual C	World Cup	2nd
13	1987–88	19 December 1987	Reit im Winkl, West Germany	5 km Individual F	World Cup	2nd
14		14 February 1988	Calgary, Canada	10 km Individual C	Olympic Games[1]	2nd
15		25 February 1988		20 km Individual F	Olympic Games[1]	3rd
16	1989–90	14 January 1990	Moscow, Soviet Union	7.5 km Individual C	World Cup	2nd

Team podiums

• 3 victories
• 9 podiums

No.	Season	Date	Location	Race	Level	Place	Teammates
1	1981–82	24 February 1982	Oslo, Norway	4 × 5 km Relay	World Championships[1]	2nd	Lyadova / Zabolotskaya / Kulakova
2	1983–84	26 February 1984	Falun, Sweden	4 × 5 km Relay	World Cup	3rd	Markashanskaya / Zimyatova / Burlakova
3	1984–85	22 January 1985	Seefeld, Austria	4 × 5 km Relay	World Championships[1]	1st	Tikhonova / Vasilchenko / Reztsova
4	1988–89	22 February 1989	Lahti, Finland	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Championships[1]	2nd	Shamshurina / Tikhonova / Välbe
5		12 March 1989	Falun, Sweden	4 × 5 km Relay C	World Cup	2nd	Lazutina / Tikhonova / Välbe
6	1989–90	4 March 1990	Lahti, Finland	4 × 5 km Relay F	World Cup	2nd	Nageykina / Yegorova / Lazutina
7	1990–91	15 February 1991	Val di Fiemme, Italy	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Championships[1]	1st	Yegorova / Tikhonova / Välbe
8		15 March 1991	Oslo, Norway	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	2nd	Nageykina / Tikhonova / Välbe
9	1991–92	18 February 1992	Albertville, France	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	Olympic Games[1]	1st	Välbe / 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

• List of multiple Winter Olympic medalists
• List of multiple Olympic medalists