Lydia Wideman

Lydia Wideman (later Wideman-Lehtonen, 17 May 1920 to 13 April 2019) was a Finnish cross-country skier and the first female Olympic medalist in cross-country skiing. In 1952 she competed in thirteen 10 km races and won all of them, including the 1952 Winter Olympics, the national championships and the Lahti Ski Games. She and her twin sister Tyyne were born into a family of ten siblings, many of whom were skilled cross-country skiers; Tyyne won the national 10 km title in 1949 to 1951, beating Lydia in 1951 before retiring that year. After the death of Durward Knowles in February 2018, Wideman became the oldest living Olympic champion. She died on 13 April 2019, aged 98.