Bjørgen, Marit, 1980–, Norwegian cross-country skier, b. Trondheim. The most decorated winter Olympian of all time, with 15 medals, she initially excelled as a sprinter, but later became accomplished at distance skiing. She won silver in the women's relay at the 2002 winter Olympics and silver in the 10-km classical in 2006. Bjørgen won her first three golds in 2010 in the sprint, 15-km pursuit, and relay, as well as silver in the 30-km classical and bronze in the 10-km freestyle. In 2014 she won Olympic gold in the 15-km skiathlon (previously the pursuit), 30-km freestyle, and team sprint, and in 2018 she won gold in the 30-km classical and relay, silver in the 15-km skiathlon, and bronze in the 10-km freestyle and the team sprint. Other career accomplishments include winning the World Cup overall title four times and 18 world championship gold medals.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Sports: Biographies