Aino Kaisa Saarinen
Encyclopedia
Aino-Kaisa Saarinen (born February 1, 1979 in Hollola
, Päijänne Tavastia
) is a Finnish
cross country skier who has competed since 1998. Competing in two Winter Olympics, she won three bronze medals with one in 2006
(Team sprint) and two in 2010
(30 km, 4 x 5 km).
Saarinen also won six medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
with four golds (Team sprint: 2009, 10 km: 2009, 4 x 5 km: 2007, 2009) and two bronzes (7.5 km + 7.5 km double pursuit: 2009, 10 km: 2011). She has six individual victories in FIS races since 2002, but did not win her first World Cup
event until she won the 30 km classical event at the Holmenkollen ski festival
on March 17, 2007.
Saarinen finished second in the 2008/2009 Tour De Ski behind Virpi Kuitunen
.
Hollola
Hollola is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Päijänne Tavastia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water...
, Päijänne Tavastia
Päijänne Tavastia
Päijänne Tavastia is a region in Southern Finland south of the lake Päijänne. It borders the regions Uusimaa, Tavastia Proper, Pirkanmaa, Central Finland, Southern Savonia and Kymenlaakso.- Historical provinces :...
) is a Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
cross country skier who has competed since 1998. Competing in two Winter Olympics, she won three bronze medals with one in 2006
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
(Team sprint) and two in 2010
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
(30 km, 4 x 5 km).
Saarinen also won six medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships have been held in various numbers and types of events since 1925 for men and since 1954 for women. Championship events include nordic skiing's three disciplines: cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and nordic combined...
with four golds (Team sprint: 2009, 10 km: 2009, 4 x 5 km: 2007, 2009) and two bronzes (7.5 km + 7.5 km double pursuit: 2009, 10 km: 2011). She has six individual victories in FIS races since 2002, but did not win her first World Cup
FIS Cross-Country World Cup
The FIS Cross-Country World Cup is an annual cross-country skiing competition, arranged by the International Ski Federation since 1981. The competition was arranged unofficially between 1973 and 1981, although it received provisional recognition on the 31...
event until she won the 30 km classical event at the Holmenkollen ski festival
Holmenkollen ski festival
The Holmenkollen Ski Festival is a traditional annual Nordic skiing event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic. It takes place in March and has been arranged every year since 1892, except for 1898 and during World War II...
on March 17, 2007.
Saarinen finished second in the 2008/2009 Tour De Ski behind Virpi Kuitunen
Virpi Kuitunen
Virpi Katriina Sarasvuo is a Finnish cross country skier who competed from 1995 to 2010. She won a bronze medal in the team sprint event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and earned her best individual finish of fifth in the individual sprint event in those same games...
.