Kristen J. Thorsness (born March 10, 1960, in

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...

) is an American former 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 Olympic gold medalist. She was a member of the American women's eights team that won the gold medal at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, the first US women's crew to win Olympic gold. She grew up in Alaska, and started rowing at the University of Wisconsin. She was named the Big Ten Conference's rower of the decade and was runner up for Big Ten female athlete of the decade. In addition to the 1984 Olympic team, she was part of three World championship silver medal-winning crews (1982, 1983 and 1987) and was a member of the 1988 Olympic team. She is a member of the US Rowing Hall of Fame, an inaugural inductee into the

Alaska Sports Hall of Fame The Alaska Sports Hall of Fame honors Alaskan athletes, coaches, contributors, recurring events, and historic moments that have significantly impacted the sporting landscape of Alaska. The Hall was established in 2006 and the first class was ind ...

, and is also a member of the University of Wisconsin Athletics Hall of Fame. She served on the US Rowing board of directors, currently serves on US Rowing's referee committee, and has been a US Rowing referee since 2003. She has been an attorney since 1989, currently practicing law in Rochester, New York and is an arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Thorsness was the first person (male or female) from

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

, an Alaskan, to win an

Olympic medal An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal to be won: gold, silver, and bronze, awarded to first, second, and third place, respectively. The granting of awards is laid o ...

.Bragg, Beth
"Alaska Sports Hall of Fame - Kristen Thorsness"
''

''. Retrieved 7 June 2021.

References

* 1960 births American female rowers Living people New York (state) lawyers Olympic gold medalists for the United States in rowing Rowers at the 1984 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1988 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Anchorage, Alaska Wisconsin Badgers women's rowers Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics World Rowing Championships medalists for the United States {{US-rowing-Olympic-medalist-stub