Vibeke Westbye Skofterud (20 April 1980 – 29 July 2018) was a Norwegian cross-country skier. She won gold in the 4 × 5 km relay at

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 ...

in 2010. Her best individual finish at the

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 ...

was eighth in the 30 km event at

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

in 2002. Skofterud won a complete set of 4 × 5 km relay medals 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 ...

(gold: 2005, gold: 2011, silver: 2003, bronze: 2007) and earned her best individual finish of 13th in the 5 km + 5 km double pursuit in 2003. Her first individual victory came in a pursuit race in Norway in 2006. In 2012, Skofterud became the first Norwegian to win the

Vasaloppet ( Swedish for 'the Vasa-race') is an annual long distance cross-country ski race held on the first Sunday of March. The course starts in the village of Berga, just south of Sälen in western Dalarna, Sweden, and ends in the town of Mora in t ...

official ladies class. She set a new record time, 4.08,24, more than 8 minutes faster than the previous record from 1998. This was the first time ever she competed in a race as long as 90 km. The 2012/2013 World Cup season proved to be difficult for Skofterud, due to illness and injuries, and she was forced to quit the season halfway through. She made a comeback on the national team the following winter, but her results were less than satisfactory. After failing to qualify for the 2014 Winter Olympics, Skofterud announced her retirement from the national team, in favour of a career in

ski marathon Competitive cross-country skiing encompasses a variety of race formats and course lengths. Rules of cross-country skiing are sanctioned by the International Ski Federation and by various national organizations. International competitions incl ...

. She retired from cross-country skiing in 2015.

Cross-country skiing results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).

Olympic Games

* 1 medal – (1 gold)

World Championships

* 4 medals – (2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze) :a. Cancelled due to extremely cold weather.

World Cup

Season standings

Individual podiums

* 15 podiums – (12 , 3 )

Team podiums

*17 victories – (17 ) *23 podiums – (23 )

Personal life

In 2005, Skofterud turned down an offer to appear in the Norwegian edition of the men's magazine ''

FHM ''FHM'' (For Him Magazine) is a British multinational men's lifestyle magazine that was published in several countries. Its master edition contained features such as the ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women in the World, which has featured models, actres ...

''. The rejection came after pressure from the

Norwegian Ski Federation The Norwegian Ski Federation ( no, Norges Skiforbund) is headquartered in Oslo, Norway and is the national representative of the International Ski Federation. Founded on 21 February 1908, it covers the skiing disciplines of alpine, cross-countr ...

. Skofterud suffered from eating disorders, which she claimed as a reason for canceling many competitions in the previous seasons. Skofterud confirmed in June 2008 that she was in a committed relationship with a woman. She had previously been in relationships with men. Skofterud was reported missing in the early morning of 29 July 2018 and was found dead on an islet. The police stated that she most likely died instantly from injuries after a

jetski Jet Ski is the brand name of a personal watercraft (PWC) manufactured by Kawasaki, a Japanese company. The term is often used generically to refer to any type of personal watercraft used mainly for recreation, and it is also used as a verb to ...

accident near Arendal. Skofterud was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident, with a

blood alcohol level Blood alcohol content (BAC), also called blood alcohol concentration or blood alcohol level, is a measurement of alcohol intoxication used for legal or medical purposes; it is expressed as mass of alcohol per volume or mass of blood. For example ...

above the legal limit of 0.8‰. She was 38 years old.

References

External links

*
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skofterud, Vibeke W. 1980 births 2018 deaths Cross-country skiers at the 2002 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 2010 Winter Olympics Lesbian sportswomen Norwegian LGBT sportspeople Norwegian female cross-country skiers Olympic cross-country skiers of Norway Olympic gold medalists for Norway Olympic medalists in cross-country skiing People from Østfold FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in cross-country skiing Medalists at the 2010 Winter Olympics Boating accident deaths Alcohol-related deaths in Norway LGBT skiers Sportspeople from Viken (county)