Stefania Belmondo

Stefania Belmondo ( born January 13, 1969 in Vinadio ) is a former Italian cross-country skier. It is one of the most successful athletes in the 1990s and was one of the first, which could break the dominance of the Russians and Scandinavians. She won a total of 23 medals at Olympic Games and World Championships. With 10 Olympic medals she holds with Raissa Smetanina the record for Winter Games ( women).

Biography

Belmondo took first time in 1987 at the world championships and launched in 1988 for the first time in the Olympic Games. In 1989, she won her first World Cup race. Your first two medals she won at the World Championships in 1991. At the Olympic Winter Games in 1992, she was Olympic champion over 30 km. Two more wins in the pursuit race and about 30 km, they celebrated at the World Championships in 1993. A toe fracture that required surgery, she forced a four-month break from competition.

After a second operation Belmondo took part in the Olympic Games in 1994, but met with two bronze medals expectations. Against the advice of her doctors, she decided to continue her sports career. At the World Cup in 1997 it reached four times second place, always behind her Russian rival Jelena Välbe. Belmondo won a silver and a bronze medal at the Olympics. The third place in the relay is noteworthy because the anchor leg Belmondo as Ninth went to the track and even overtook runners. Also in 1997, Belmondo was awarded the Holmenkollen medal.

At the 1999 World Championships Belmondo won two more gold medals, in the pursuit race and over 15 km. They also decided in the 1998/99 season as the first runner from an alpine country, the overall ranking of cross-country skiing World Cup itself. 2002, in her fifth Olympics, she won the race over 15 km. After the 2001/2002 season she finished her cross-country career.

In 2006, Belmondo lit the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Turin.

Achievements

Olympic Winter Games

World Championships

World Cup

  • 23 wins in World Cup race
  • World Cup overall champion in 1999, second place in 1991, 1992 and 1997
  • Winner of the Sprint World Cup 1997
Italy Winter Olympic Games Nordic skiing at the 1992 Winter Olympics Nordic skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics Nordic skiing at the 1998 Winter Olympics Nordic skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1991 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1993 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1997 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1999 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2001 1998–99 FIS Cross-Country World Cup Albertville Lillehammer Nagano, Nagano Salt Lake City Falun Ramsau am Dachstein Lahti List of Olympic medalists in cross-country skiing Lyubov Yegorova Manuela Di Centa Gabriella Paruzzi Justyna Kowalczyk List of FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in men's cross-country skiing Lydia Wideman Toini Gustafsson Galina Kulakova Raisa Smetanina Berit Aunli Anne Jahren Aino-Kaisa Saarinen
746982
de