Toini Gustafsson Rönnlund (born Toini Karvonen; 17 January 1938) is a
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
former
cross-country skier. She competed in the 1964 and 1968
Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...
and won four medals. Gustafsson also won the 10 km race at the
Holmenkollen ski festival
The Holmenkollen Ski Festival ( no, Holmenkollen skifestival or ) is a traditional annual Nordic skiing event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic.
History
It takes place in March ...
in each of 1960, 1967, and 1968. At the
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships is a biennial nordic skiing event organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS). The World Championships was started in 1925 for men and opened for women's participation in 1954. World Championship eve ...
she collected three medals with a silver in 1962 (3 × 5 km relay) and two bronzes in 1966 (10 km and 3×5 km relay).
For her successes in Nordic skiing and at the Holmenkollen, Gustafsson received the
Holmenkollen medal in 1967 (Shared with
Ole Ellefsæter
Ole Martin Ellefsæter (15 February 1939 – 18 October 2022) was a Norwegian athlete. He mostly competed in cross-country skiing, and won two gold medals at the 1968 Winter Olympics. At the 1966 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships he won one ...
). She is the first Swedish woman to win the Holmenkollen medal. In 1968, she was awarded the
Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal.
She was married twice and had a daughter, Eva, born in 1956. In 1968 she divorced her first husband and married Swedish former cross-country skier
Assar Rönnlund
Bernt Assar Rönnlund (3 September 1935 – 5 January 2011) was a Swedish cross-country skier. Rönnlund's biggest success was at the 1962 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Zakopane where he won two gold medals (15 km and 4 × 10  ...
, with whom she had two more children. They became the second husband-wife team to win the Holmenkollen medal (Rönnlund earned the medal in 1968). Additionally, they are the only husband-wife team to win the
Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal.
[
Gustafsson is an ethnic Finn. She was born in ]Suomussalmi
Suomussalmi () is a municipality in Finland and is located in the Kainuu region about northeast of Kajaani, the capital of Kainuu and south of Kuusamo. The municipality has a population of
() and covers an area of of which is water. The popul ...
, Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, but was evacuated to Sweden when she was a child as a Finnish war child. She retired from competition in 1968 and later worked as a physical education teacher.[
She is the paternal grandmother of cross-country skier Elina Rönnlund.]
Cross-country skiing results
All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).
Olympic Games
* 4 medals – (2 gold, 2 silver)
World Championships
* 3 medals – (1 silver, 2 bronze)
References
External links
*
Holmenkollen medalists
– click Holmenkollmedaljen for downloadable pdf file
Holmenkollen winners since 1892
– click Vinnere for downloadable pdf file
IOC Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gustafsson, Toini
1938 births
Living people
People from Suomussalmi
Cross-country skiers at the 1964 Winter Olympics
Cross-country skiers at the 1968 Winter Olympics
Holmenkollen medalists
Holmenkollen Ski Festival winners
Olympic cross-country skiers of Sweden
Swedish female cross-country skiers
Olympic medalists in cross-country skiing
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in cross-country skiing
Medalists at the 1964 Winter Olympics
Medalists at the 1968 Winter Olympics
Olympic gold medalists for Sweden
Olympic silver medalists for Sweden
Finnish emigrants to Sweden
Finnish refugees
Refugees in Sweden