Sara Renner (born April 10, 1976) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
cross-country skier who competed from 1994 to 2010. With
Beckie Scott
Rebecca "Beckie" Scott, (born August 1, 1974) is a Canadian retired cross-country skier. She is Chair of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Athlete Committee, and served as an International Olympic Committee member by virtue of being elected ...
, she won the silver medal in the team sprint event at the
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second ...
in
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...
and earned her best individual finish of eight in the 10 km classical event in those same games. She was born in
Golden, British Columbia
Golden is a town in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, west of Calgary, Alberta, and east of Vancouver.
History
In 1807, David Thompsonrenowned fur trader, surveyor, and map-makerwas tasked by the North West Company to open a trading route ...
.
2006 Winter Olympics
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
coach
Bjørnar Håkensmoen gave Sara Renner a
ski pole
Ski poles, also referred to as poles (in North America), sticks (UK), or stocks (Australia), are used by skiers for balance and propulsion. Modern ski poles are most commonly made from aluminum and carbon fiber, though materials such as bamboo are ...
after hers was broken when a competitor stepped on it during the cross-country team sprint at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Norway's athlete ended up fourth, implying that this selfless act of
sportsmanship
Sportsmanship is an aspiration or ethos that a sport, or activity will be enjoyed for its own sake. This is with proper consideration for fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors. A "sore loser" refers to o ...
may well have cost the Norwegian team a medal. Renner gave Håkensmoen a bottle of wine as a thank you, while other Canadians responded with phone calls and letters to the Norwegian Embassy and sent 7,400 cans of maple syrup to Håkensmoen. The incident was immortalized in a
2010 Winter Olympics
)''
, nations = 82
, athletes = 2,626
, events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, opening = February 12, 2010
, closing = February 28, 2010
, opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean
, cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gret ...
television commercial
A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
.
Retirement
She announced her retirement in Vancouver following her finish in the Women's 30 km, Mass Start event. She said: "I just left everything out there today," Renner said after carrying her three-year-old daughter, Aria, in her arms through a series of TV interviews. "It was a beautiful race in the pouring rain — quite the way to go out. To hear everyone cheering for me, it was absolutely inspiring."
Cross-country skiing results
All results are sourced from the
International Ski Federation (FIS).
Olympic Games
* 1 medal – (1 silver)
World Championships
* 1 medal – (1 bronze)
:a. Cancelled due to extremely cold weather.
World Cup
Season standings
Individual podiums
* 4 podiums – (4 )
Team podiums
* 2 podiums – (1 , 1 )
Personal life
Renner grew up at remote
Mount Assiniboine Lodge, the oldest backcountry ski lodge in the Canadian Rockies, located southwest of
Banff and
Canmore, Alberta
Canmore is a town in Alberta, Canada, located approximately west of Calgary near the southeast boundary of Banff National Park. It is located in the Bow Valley within Alberta's Rocky Mountains. The town shares a border with Kananaskis Countr ...
, just across the
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
provincial border. Her parents ran the high-altitude lodge for three decades, and she credits her youth there for her skiing success.
In 2001 Renner posed nude in a calendar called "Nordic Nudes" to help raise money for the Canadian women's Nordic ski team. Teammates
Beckie Scott
Rebecca "Beckie" Scott, (born August 1, 1974) is a Canadian retired cross-country skier. She is Chair of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Athlete Committee, and served as an International Olympic Committee member by virtue of being elected ...
,
Milaine Thériault,
Jaime Fortier and sister
Amanda Fortier also posed nude for the calendar.
Renner is married to retired Italian-Canadian alpine skier
Thomas Grandi
Thomas Grandi (born 27 December 1972 in Bolzano, Italy) is a Canadian retired alpine skier. He specialized in technical skiing giant slalom and slalom.
Skiing career
Grandi started in the Alpine Skiing World Cup in the 1992-93 season. His f ...
. Grandi had family support out for himself and his wife during the Turin Olympics.
On September 18, 2006, Renner announced that she was taking the year off to have a baby with husband Thomas Grandi. Renner came back after her baby was born, and lead the women's team to Vancouver 2010.
On February 2, 2007, Renner gave birth to a girl named Aria at a hospital in
Banff, Alberta
Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately west of Calgary and east of Lake Louise. At above Banff is the community with the second highest ...
. She and Grandi live in
Canmore, Alberta
Canmore is a town in Alberta, Canada, located approximately west of Calgary near the southeast boundary of Banff National Park. It is located in the Bow Valley within Alberta's Rocky Mountains. The town shares a border with Kananaskis Countr ...
.
[FIS Newsflash 143. September 5, 2007.]
Notes
References
*
BiographyCross Country Canada– Canada's Cross Country Ski Program
{{DEFAULTSORT:Renner, Sara
1976 births
Canadian female cross-country skiers
Canadian people of German descent
Cross-country skiers at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Cross-country skiers at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Cross-country skiers at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Cross-country skiers at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Living people
Sportspeople from British Columbia
Olympic cross-country skiers of Canada
Olympic silver medalists for Canada
People from the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District
Olympic medalists in cross-country skiing
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in cross-country skiing
Medalists at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Sportspeople from Alberta