2010 Paralympics Opening Ceremony - Iceland entering

Erna Friðriksdóttir (born 2 November 1987) is an

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

alpine skier Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...

. She competes in

Paralympic alpine skiing Paralympic alpine skiing is an adaptation of alpine skiing for athletes with a disability. The sport evolved from the efforts of disabled veterans in Germany and Austria during and after the Second World War. The sport is governed by the Internat ...

, in the sitting category, using a

monoski A monoski is a single wide ski used for skiing on snow. The same boots, bindings, and poles are used as in alpine skiing. Unlike in snowboarding, both feet face forward, rather than sideways to the direction of travel. Similar equipment inclu ...

. She qualified to represent Iceland in

alpine skiing at the 2010 Winter Paralympics The alpine skiing competition of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics will be held at Whistler, British Columbia. The events were due to be held between 13 March, and 21 March 2010. Events scheduled for 13 March, however, were postponed due to w ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, competing in the women's slalom and the women's giant slalom. She was Iceland's sole representative, and her country's flagbearer during the Games' opening ceremony. This was only Iceland's second participation in the

Winter Paralympic Games The Winter Paralympic Games is an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete in snow and ice sports. The event includes athletes with mobility impairments, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. ...

. For its previous participation, in 1994, it had fielded a single male athlete ( Svanur Ingvarsson), in

ice sledge speed racing Ice sledge racing is a Paralympic sport where contestants use a lightweight sledge and propel themselves using two poles. As a modern organized sport, it was available as a Paralympic sport between 1980–1988 and 1994–1998. It is contested ...

. Erna was thus Iceland's first ever Paralympic alpine skier, and its first female Winter Paralympian. In Vancouver, competing in the women's slalom, she completed the first run in 2:04.05 (14th and last of those who finished the race), crashed twice during the second and struggled to pick herself up, eventually reaching the finish line. She was, however, recorded as disqualified for her second run."Women's Slalom - Sitting"
official results

References

1987 births Living people Erna Fridriksdottir Erna Fridriksdottir Alpine skiers at the 2010 Winter Paralympics Alpine skiers at the 2014 Winter Paralympics {{Iceland-alpine-skiing-bio-stub