Birgit Skarstein (born 10 February 1989) is a Norwegian competitive

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...

and

cross-country skier Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

. She competed at the

2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralym ...

, in Women's single sculls, winning a gold medal.

Career

rowing at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Adaptive rowing, Rowing competitions at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio were held from 9 to 11 September 2016, at Lagoa Stadium at the Games' Copacabana hub. Classification Rowers are given a classification depending on the type and extent ...

, she finished fourth in the

single sculls A single scull (or a scull) is a rowing boat designed for a single person who propels the boat with two oars, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-section in order to minimi ...

event. In

cross-country skiing at the 2014 Winter Paralympics Cross-country skiing at the 2014 Winter Paralympics were held at the Laura Biathlon & Ski Complex near Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. The twenty events were scheduled to be held between 9–16 March 2014. Events The program includes 20 events. Th ...

, Skarstein competed in the 1 km sprint classic, 5 km free, and 15 km free events. In

cross-country skiing at the 2018 Winter Paralympics Cross-country skiing at the 2018 Winter Paralympics was held at the Alpensia Biathlon Centre, South Korea. The twenty events were held from 11 to 18 March 2018. Canadian Brian McKeever won three individual gold and a team relay bronze, his thi ...

, she competed in the 1.5 km sprint classic, 7.5 km classic, and 15 km free events. Skarstein won a gold medal in PR1W1x at the

2017 World Rowing Championships The 2017 World Rowing Championships were the 47th edition of the World Rowing Championships that were held from 24 September to 1 October 2017 in Sarasota, Florida. Host selection During 2013, Plovdiv and Sarasota, Florida both applied to hos ...

Sarasota Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...

, ahead of

Moran Samuel Moran Samuel ( he, מורן סמואל; April 24, 1982) is an Israeli paralympic basketball player and world champion rower. She was chosen to light a ceremonial torch on Israel's Independence Day in 2019. She represented Israel at the 2020 Summer ...

. In 2019 she qualified to represent Norway at the 2020 Summer Paralympics held in Tokyo, Japan after winning the gold medal in the PR1 Women's single sculls event at the

2019 World Rowing Championships The 2019 World Rowing Championships were held in Ottensheim, Austria from 25 August to 1 September 2019. Apart from Ottensheim, the right to host the championships was contested by Hamburg in Germany, Račice in the Czech Republic, and Varese ...

References

External links

* * * 1989 births Living people Norwegian female rowers Norwegian female cross-country skiers Paralympic rowers of Norway Paralympic cross-country skiers of Norway Paralympic medalists in rowing Paralympic gold medalists for Norway Rowers at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Rowers at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Cross-country skiers at the 2014 Winter Paralympics Cross-country skiers at the 2018 Winter Paralympics World Rowing Championships medalists for Norway Sportswomen with disabilities People from Levanger Sportspeople from Trøndelag 20th-century Norwegian women 21st-century Norwegian women {{Norway-sport-bio-stub