Bente Skari

Bente Skari, born Bente Martinsen on 10 September 1972, is a Norwegian former cross-country skier and one of the most successful in the history of the sport. She won her first Olympic medals in 1998 and her first gold medal in the 10 km classical at the 2002 Winter Olympics, where she came from behind in the last kilometers to beat the favourites Olga Danilova and Julija Tchepalova, and she was the first Norwegian woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal in cross-country skiing. She also won five gold medals at the world championships and took the overall World Cup four times before retiring after the 2003 season. Her father Odd Martinsen earned the Holmenkollen medal in 1969, and the two are the only father and daughter to have won that honour. In 2007 she was named the first female race administrator in cross-country skiing.