Anja Pärson
Encyclopedia
Umeå
- Transport :The road infrastructure in Umeå is well-developed, with two European highways passing through the city. About 4 km from the city centre is the Umeå City Airport...
, Sweden) is a Swedish-Sámi
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
alpine skier
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
, the winner of seven World Championships gold medals and two Overall Alpine Skiing World Cup
Alpine skiing World Cup
The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France and the USA...
titles. She has won a total of 42 World cup races.
Biography
Pärson was introduced to ski racing by her sister, Frida, and is now trained by her father, Anders. Her first World Cup race was a giant slalomGiant Slalom skiing
Giant slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom but less than in super G....
at the World Cup Finals at Crans-Montana
Crans-Montana
Crans-Montana is a ski resort in western Switzerland, in the heart of the Swiss Alps in the canton of Valais. It is located on a plateau above Sierre at an elevation of about 1500 m above sea level, allowing good view over the Valais Alps and Weisshorn in particular...
, Switzerland (on 15 March 1998
1998 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 32nd World Cup season began in October 1997 in Tignes, France, and concluded in March 1998 at the World Cup Finals in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. The overall winners were Hermann Maier of Austria and Katja Seizinger of Germany....
). She qualified for that race as the new junior World Champion but only finished 25th in last place. She won her first World Cup race, a slalom at Mammoth Mountain
Mammoth Mountain
Mammoth Mountain is a lava dome complex west of the town of Mammoth Lakes, California in the Inyo National Forest of Madera County and Mono County. It is home to a large ski area on the Mono County side....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, in December 1998
1999 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 33rd World Cup season began in October 1998 in Sölden, Austria, and concluded at the World Cup finals at Sierra Nevada, Spain, in March 1999. The overall winners were Lasse Kjus of Norway and Alexandra Meissnitzer of Austria....
at age 17, and her first gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
at St. Anton
St. Anton
Sankt Anton am Arlberg is a village and ski resort in Tyrol, western Austria, with a permanent population of approximately . It is situated at above sea level in the Tyrolean Alps, with Aerial tramways and chairlifts up to . It is also a popular summer resort among trekkers and...
, Austria, in 2001. She clinched the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
in the giant slalom and the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in the slalom at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics consisted of ten events held near Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. The downhill, Super G, and combined events were held at Snowbasin, the giant slalom at Park City, and the slalom at Deer Valley...
, and added the gold in slalom plus two more bronze medals in downhill and combined in 2006 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympics consisted of ten events, held at Sestriere and Cesana-San Sicario, Italy. The races were held from February 12-25, 2006.-Medal table:- Men's events :- Women's events :-Course Information:...
.
Pärson won the Alpine Skiing World Cup
Alpine skiing World Cup
The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France and the USA...
overall title in 2004
2004 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 38th World Cup season began in October 2003 in Sölden, Austria, and concluded at the World Cup finals in Sestriere, Italy, in March 2004. Sestriere would host the alpine skiing events at the 2006 Winter Olympics....
and 2005
2005 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 39th World Cup season began in October 2004 in Sölden, Austria, and concluded in March 2005 at the World Cup finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. The overall winners were Bode Miller of the U.S. and Anja Pärson of Sweden....
. The latter title was won by the smallest margin ever, only 3 points over her fierce rival, Janica Kostelić
Janica Kostelic
Janica Kostelić is a retired alpine ski racer from Croatia. She is the only woman to win four gold medals in alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics , and the only woman to win three alpine skiing gold medals in one Olympics ....
. Initially a slalom and giant slalom specialist, she won her first Super-G
Super Giant Slalom skiing
The Super Giant Slalom is an Alpine skiing discipline. It is usually referred to as Super G and is a "speed" event, along with the faster Downhill event; the Giant Slalom and Slalom events are known as the "technical" disciplines.-History:...
and downhill
Downhill
Downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the Downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships....
races in March 2005 at San Sicario
Cesana San Sicario
Cesana San Sicario, located in Cesana, Italy is a location of a venue for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The biathlon facility is built for 6,500 spectators....
, Italy, during the pre-Olympic competitions. As of January 2010, she has won a total of 41 World Cup races in all five disciplines.
Pärson has won seven gold medals in the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, in 2001 (slalom), 2003 (giant slalom), 2005 (giant slalom, Super-G) and 2007 (Super-G, Super-combined, downhill). These go along with two silver and three bronze medals in other events in 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2011. With her three gold medals in 2007 at Åre
Åre Municipality
Åre Municipality is a municipality in Jämtland County in northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Järpen.The present municipality was formed in 1974 through the amalgamation of "old" Åre Municipality with the surrounding municipalities Hallen, Kall, Mörsil and Undersåker...
, Sweden, she became the first skier in history to win World Championship golds in all five disciplines.
Pärson has earned a total of 17 individual medals in World Championships and Olympics, exceeding the record by Christl Cranz
Christl Cranz
Christl Franziska Antonia Cranz-Borchers was a German alpine skier. Crantz was the dominating skier of the 1930s winning twelve world championship titles between 1934 and 1939. At the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen she won the Alpine skiing combined competition .Cranz was born 1914...
in women's alpine skiing. (In men's alpine skiing it's only beaten by Kjetil André Aamodt
Kjetil André Aamodt
Kjetil André Aamodt is a Norwegian former alpine ski racer, and is the most decorated in history....
, with 20.)
Pärson's athletics club is Fjällvinden
Fjällvinden
Fjällvinden in Tärnaby, Sweden is arguably the most successful alpine skiing club in the history of the sport...
, Tärnaby
Tärnaby
Tärnaby is a locality situated in Storuman Municipality, Västerbotten County, Sweden with 533 inhabitants in 2005.It is known for its successful skiers, particularly in the "technical" disciplines: Slalom and Giant Slalom: Ingemar Stenmark, Anja Pärson, Bengt Fjällberg, Stig Strand and Jens Byggmark...
, the same to which skiing legend Ingemar Stenmark
Ingemar Stenmark
Jan Ingemar Stenmark is a Swedish former skier, active during the 1970s and 1980s. He is regarded as one of the most prominent Swedish sportsmen, and as the greatest slalom and giant slalom specialist of all time. He competed for Fjällvinden Tärnaby.Stenmark was born in the province of Lappland...
and Stig Strand
Stig Strand
Stig Strand is a Swedish former alpine skier and sports commentator. He is known for being sports commentator for SVT during many years after his career, and still 2010...
belonged. She currently lives in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
. Her height is 170 cm (5 ft 7 in). She was awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal
Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal
The Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal is an annual award "for the most significant Swedish sports achievement of the year". It has been awarded by a jury led by the Swedish morning paper Svenska Dagbladet since 1925. According to its statutes the Medal may be awarded in November or December to either...
in 2006 and in 2007.
After two disappointing seasons (2006/07
2007 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 41st World Cup season was scheduled to begin on October 28, 2006, but cancellation of the opening races in Sölden delayed the season's start by two weeks. A very poor snowpack in the Alps, along with stormy weather in January, caused numerous races to be moved and rescheduled throughout the...
and 2007/08
2008 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 42nd World Cup season began in October 2007 in Sölden, Austria and concluded on March 15, 2008, at the World Cup Finals in Bormio, Italy....
where she finished fifth and sixth in the overall cup), she was back to her best over the 2008/09
2009 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 43rd World Cup season began in late October 2008 in Sölden, Austria, and concluded in mid-March 2009, at the World Cup finals in Åre, Sweden.Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway won the overall title by two points over Benjamin Raich of Austria. Svindal returned from a season-ending injury in December...
season, finishing third in the overall cup.
With the victory in March 2011, she has won at least one race for ten consecutive World Cups, coming in this ranking only after Alberto Tomba
Alberto Tomba
Alberto Tomba is an Italian retired alpine ski racer. He was the dominant technical skier in the late 1980s and 1990s. Tomba won three Olympic gold medals, two World Championships, and nine World Cup season titles; four in slalom, four in giant slalom, and one overall title...
for men and Vreni Schneider
Vreni Schneider
Verena Schneider is a former ski racer from Switzerland. She is the most successful alpine ski racer of her country, the second most successful female ski racer ever and was elected "Swiss Sportswoman of the Century".She won the overall alpine skiing World Cup three times and eleven discipline...
for women with eleven, and equalling Renate Götschl
Renate Götschl
Renate Götschl is a former champion alpine ski racer. She is a two-time individual World Champion in the combined and downhill , and has won a total of 9 World Championships medals...
for women and Ingemar Stenmark
Ingemar Stenmark
Jan Ingemar Stenmark is a Swedish former skier, active during the 1970s and 1980s. He is regarded as one of the most prominent Swedish sportsmen, and as the greatest slalom and giant slalom specialist of all time. He competed for Fjällvinden Tärnaby.Stenmark was born in the province of Lappland...
for men with ten.
At the 2010 Winter Olympics
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...
, while trying to chase down eventual downhill champion Lindsey Vonn of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Anja Pärson lost balance on the last jump before the finish, resulting in a 60-metre flight and subsequent fall, without however suffering serious injury. She recovered from the fall and one day later won the bronze medal in the Combined event.
Overall and single discipline results
| Season | Discipline |
|---|---|
| 2003 2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 37th World Cup season began in October 2002 on Sölden, Austria, and concluded in March 2003 at the World Cup finals in Lillehammer, Norway. The overall winners were Stephan Eberharter of Austria and Janica Kostelić of Croatia.... |
Giant Slalom |
| 2004 2004 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 38th World Cup season began in October 2003 in Sölden, Austria, and concluded at the World Cup finals in Sestriere, Italy, in March 2004. Sestriere would host the alpine skiing events at the 2006 Winter Olympics.... |
Giant Slalom |
| 2004 2004 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 38th World Cup season began in October 2003 in Sölden, Austria, and concluded at the World Cup finals in Sestriere, Italy, in March 2004. Sestriere would host the alpine skiing events at the 2006 Winter Olympics.... |
Slalom |
| 2004 2004 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 38th World Cup season began in October 2003 in Sölden, Austria, and concluded at the World Cup finals in Sestriere, Italy, in March 2004. Sestriere would host the alpine skiing events at the 2006 Winter Olympics.... |
Overall |
| 2005 2005 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 39th World Cup season began in October 2004 in Sölden, Austria, and concluded in March 2005 at the World Cup finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. The overall winners were Bode Miller of the U.S. and Anja Pärson of Sweden.... |
Overall |
| 2006 2006 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 40th World Cup season began in October 2005 and concluded at the World Cup finals in Åre, Sweden, in March 2006. The schedule included a nearly month-long break in February for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.... |
Giant Slalom |
| 2009 2009 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 43rd World Cup season began in late October 2008 in Sölden, Austria, and concluded in mid-March 2009, at the World Cup finals in Åre, Sweden.Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway won the overall title by two points over Benjamin Raich of Austria. Svindal returned from a season-ending injury in December... |
Combined |
Individual races
42 wins (18 Slalom, 11 Giant slalom, 4 Super-G, 6 Downhill, 3 Combined)| Date | Location | Race |
|---|---|---|
| 3 December 1998 |  Mammoth MountainMammoth Mountain Mammoth Mountain is a lava dome complex west of the town of Mammoth Lakes, California in the Inyo National Forest of Madera County and Mono County. It is home to a large ski area on the Mono County side.... |
Slalom |
| 9 December 2001 |  Sestrières |
Slalom |
| 29 December 2001 |  LienzLienz Lienz is a medieval town in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is the administrative centre of the Lienz district, which covers all of East Tyrol. The municipality also includes the cadastral subdivision of Patriasdorf.-Geography:... |
Slalom |
| 5 January 2002 |  MariborMaribor Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor.... |
Slalom |
| 6 January 2002 | Maribor |
Slalom |
| 30 November 2002 | Aspen |
Slalom |
| 15 December 2002 | Sestrières |
KO-Slalom |
| 19 January 2003 | Cortina d'Ampezzo Cortina d'Ampezzo Cortina d'Ampezzo is a town and comune in the southern Alps located in Veneto, a region in Northern Italy. Located in the heart of the Dolomites in an alpine valley, it is a popular winter sport resort known for its ski-ranges, scenery, accommodations, shops and après-ski scene... |
Giant slalom |
| 25 January 2003 | Maribor |
Giant slalom |
| 26 January 2003 | Maribor |
Slalom |
| 6 March 2003 |  ÅreÅre Åre is a locality and one of the leading Scandinavian ski resorts situated in Åre Municipality, Jämtland County, Sweden with 1,260 inhabitants in 2005. It is however, not the seat of the municipality, which is Järpen. 25% of the municipal industry is based on tourism, most notably the downhill... |
Giant slalom |
| 28 November 2003 | Park City |
Giant slalom |
| 29 November 2003 | Park City |
Slalom |
| 16 December 2003 | Madonna di Campiglio Madonna di Campiglio Madonna di Campiglio is a village and a ski resort in northeast Italy. It is a frazione of the comune of Pinzolo. The village lies in the Val Rendena at an altitude of 1,522 m... |
Slalom |
| 28 December 2003 | Lienz |
Slalom |
| 5 January 2004 |  MegèveMegève Megève is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.Megève is a famous ski resort near the Mont-Blanc in the French Alps... |
Slalom |
| 24 January 2004 | Maribor |
Giant slalom |
| 25 January 2004 | Maribor |
Slalom |
| 7 February 2004 |  ZwieselZwiesel Zwiesel is a town in the district of Regen, in Bavaria, Germany.-Geography:Zwiesel is situated in the Bavarian Forest, lying south of Bodenmais and to the northwest of Grafenau... |
Giant slalom |
| 8 February 2004 | Zwiesel |
Slalom |
| 21 February 2004 | Åre |
Giant slalom |
| 14 March 2004 | Sestrières |
Giant slalom |
| 23 November 2004 | Sölden Sölden Sölden is a municipality in the Ötztal valley of Tyrol, Austria.-Geography:At c. 467 km² , it is the largest municipality in the country. The population of 3,449 is outnumbered by tourists, of which 15,000 can be accommodated... |
Giant slalom |
| 23 January 2005 | Maribor |
Slalom |
| 25 February 2005 | San Sicario |
Super-G |
| 26 February 2005 | San Sicario |
Downhill |
| 11 December 2005 | Aspen |
Slalom |
| 22 December 2005 |  Špindlerův MlýnŠpindleruv Mlýn Špindlerův Mlýn is a town in the Czech Republic in the Krkonoše. It received its name after a mill belonging to Spindler's family, where neighbours used to meet... |
Slalom |
| 28 December 2005 | Lienz |
Giant Slalom |
| 13 January 2006 | Bad Kleinkirchheim Bad Kleinkirchheim Bad Kleinkirchheim is a municipality in Spittal an der Drau, Carinthia, Austria. Until the middle of the 20th century, agriculture was the dominant focus, but it is now a renowned spa and ski resort... |
Downhill |
| 27 January 2006 | Cortina d'Ampezzo |
Super-G |
| 4 February 2006 | Ofterschwang Ofterschwang Ofterschwang is a municipality in Oberallgäu, in Bavaria, Germany. It is a professional winter sports venue, regularly used for Alpine skiing World Cup events.... |
Giant slalom |
| 11 March 2006 |  Levi |
Slalom |
| 15 March 2006 | Åre |
Downhill |
| 15 March 2007 |  LenzerheideLenzerheide Lenzerheide is a mountain resort in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It lies at the foot of the Parpaner Rothorn. The village belongs to the municipality Vaz/Obervaz in the district of Albula, sub-district Alvaschein.... |
Super-G |
| 15 December 2007 | St. Moritz St. Moritz St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden... |
Downhill |
| 16 December 2007 | St. Moritz |
Super-G |
| 9 March 2008 | Crans-Montana Crans-Montana Crans-Montana is a ski resort in western Switzerland, in the heart of the Swiss Alps in the canton of Valais. It is located on a plateau above Sierre at an elevation of about 1500 m above sea level, allowing good view over the Valais Alps and Weisshorn in particular... |
Combined |
| 19 December 2008 | St. Moritz |
Combined |
| 18 January 2009 | Altenmarkt-Zauchensee Altenmarkt im Pongau Altenmarkt im Pongau is a small town in the Salzburg state of Austria. Altenmarkt is situated 65 km South East of Salzburg. The town occupies an area of approximately 48 km² and sits at 842 metres above sea level.The town is principally known for its winter tourism... |
Downhill |
| 29 January 2010 | St. Moritz |
Combined |
| 5 March 2011 | Tarvisio Tarvisio Tarvisio is a town in the Province of Udine, in the northeastern part of the autonomous Friuli–Venezia Giulia region in Italy... |
Downhill |
External links
- Anja Pärson - Official site
- Ski-DB.com - Results - Anja Paerson