Vibeke Skofterud

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 in 2010. Her best individual finish at the Winter Olympics was eighth in the 30 km event at Salt Lake City in 2002.

Vibeke Skofterud
Vibeke Skofterud in May 2015
Country Norway
Full nameVibeke Westbye Skofterud
Born(1980-04-20)20 April 1980
Askim, Norway
Died29 July 2018(2018-07-29) (aged 38)
Arendal, Norway
Ski clubSlitu IF
World Cup career
Seasons2000–2014
Individual wins0
Team wins17
Indiv. podiums15
Team podiums23
Indiv. starts191
Team starts35
Overall titles0 – (11th in 2002, 2012)
Discipline titles0
Medal record
Women's cross-country skiing
Representing  Norway
Olympic Games
2010 Vancouver 4 × 5 km relay
World Championships
2005 Oberstdorf 4 × 5 km relay
2011 Oslo 4 × 5 km relay
2003 Val di Fiemme 4 × 5 km relay
2007 Sapporo 4 × 5 km relay
Junior World Championships
2000 Štrbské Pleso 4 × 5 km relay

Skofterud won a complete set of 4 × 5 km relay medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships (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 official ladies class.[1] She set a new record time, 4.08,24, more than 8 minutes faster than the previous record from 1998.[1] 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.[2]

She retired from cross-country skiing in 2015.[3]

Cross-country skiing results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[4]

Olympic Games
  • 1 medal – (1 gold)
 Year   Age   10 km   15 km   Pursuit  30 km   Sprint   4 × 5 km 
 relay 		  Team 
 sprint 
200221—2828821—N/A
20102922N/ADNF——Gold—

World Championships
  • 4 medals – (2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)
 Year   Age   10 km  15 km  Pursuit  30 km  Sprint   4 × 5 km 
 relay 		  Team 
 sprint 
200120——36CNX[a]16—N/A
20032222—13——SilverN/A
200524—N/A15—37—Gold
20072621N/A13—33Bronze—
2011309N/A—6—Gold—
a. 1 Cancelled due to extremely cold weather.

Season standings
 Season   Age  Discipline standings Ski Tour standings
Overall Distance Long Distance Middle Distance Sprint Nordic
Opening		 Tour de
Ski		 World Cup
Final
20002083N/ANC—58N/AN/AN/A
20012143N/AN/AN/A28N/AN/AN/A
20022211N/AN/AN/A14N/AN/AN/A
20032321N/AN/AN/A13N/AN/AN/A
2004241313N/AN/A27N/AN/AN/A
2005252823N/AN/A30N/AN/AN/A
2006264331N/AN/A69N/AN/AN/A
2007271511N/AN/A75N/A9N/A
2008283020N/AN/A79N/ADNF—
2009295737N/AN/A—N/A——
2010301812N/AN/A59N/ADNF27
2011312717N/AN/A316—DNF
201232116N/AN/A33—DNF
2013332318N/AN/ANC7——
2014345633N/AN/ANC21DNF—

Individual podiums
  • 15 podiums – (12 WC, 3 SWC)
No. Season Date Location Race Level Place
1 2001–02 8 December 2001 Cogne, Italy5 km Individual CWorld Cup3rd
29 December 2001 Cogne, Italy1.5 km Sprint FWorld Cup2nd
323 March 2002 Birkebeinerrennet, Norway58 km Mass Start CWorld Cup2nd
4 2003–04 28 November 2003 Rukatunturi, Finland10 km Individual CWorld Cup2nd
5 2007–08 24 November 2007 Beitostølen, Norway10 km Individual FWorld Cup2nd
68 December 2007 Davos, Switzerland10 km Individual CWorld Cup2nd
7 2009–10 29 November 2009 Rukatunturi, Finland10 km Individual CWorld Cup3rd
8 2011–12 19 November 2011 Sjusjøen, Norway10 km Individual FWorld Cup3rd
925 November 2011 Rukatunturi, Finland1.2 km Sprint CStage World Cup3rd
1026 November 2011 Rukatunturi, Finland5 km Individual FStage World Cup2nd
1127 November 2011 Rukatunturi, Finland10 km Pursuit CStage World Cup3rd
1225–27 November 2011 Nordic OpeningOverall StandingsWorld Cup3rd
1310 December 2011 Davos, Switzerland15 km Individual FWorld Cup2nd
1417 December 2011 Rogla, Slovenia10 km Mass Start CWorld Cup2nd
15 2012–13 16 December 2012 Canmore, Canada7.5 km + 7.5 km Skiathlon C/FWorld Cup3rd

Team podiums
  • 17 victories
  • 23 podiums
No. Season Date Location Race Level Place Teammates
12001–0216 December 2001 Davos, Switzerland4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stBay / Skari / Pedersen
210 March 2002 Falun, Sweden4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup2ndMoen / Bjørgen / Pedersen
32002–0324 November 2002 Kiruna, Sweden4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stMoen / Skari / Sorkmo
48 December 2002 Davos, Switzerland4 x 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stSkari / Pedersen / Sorkmo
52003–0423 November 2003 Beitostølen, Norway4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stPedersen / Steira / Bjørgen
614 December 2003 Davos, Switzerland4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stBjørgen / Stemland / Pedersen
711 January 2004 Otepää, Estonia4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stPedersen / Steira / Bjørgen
822 February 2004 Umeå, Sweden4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stBjørgen / Steira / Pedersen
92004–0524 November 2004 Gällivare, Sweden4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stBjørnås / Pedersen / Bjørgen
1012 December 2004 Val di Fiemme, Italy4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup3rdBjørnås / Pedersen / Bjørgen
112005–0620 November 2005 Beitostølen, Norway4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stBerg / Pedersen / Bjørgen
1215 January 2006 Val di Fiemme, Italy4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup3rdBjørgen / Stemland / Steira
132006–0719 November 2006 Gällivare, Sweden4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stPedersen / Steira / Bjørgen
144 February 2007 Davos, Switzerland4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup2ndJacobsen / Steira / Bjørgen
152007–0825 November 2007 Beitostølen, Norway4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stJacobsen / Johaug / Bjørgen
169 December 2007 Davos, Switzerland4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stStemland / Johaug / Steira
172009–1022 November 2009 Beitostølen, Norway4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup2ndJohaug / Steira / Bjørgen
182010–1121 November 2010 Gällivare, Sweden4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stJohaug / Steira / Bjørgen
1919 December 2010 La Clusaz, France4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stJohaug / Steira / Bjørgen
202011–1220 November 2011 Sjusjøen, Norway4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stJohaug / Steira / Bjørgen
2112 February 2012 Nové Město, Czech Republic4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stJohaug / Jacobsen / Bjørgen
222012–1325 November 2012 Gällivare, Sweden4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1stJohaug / Hagen / Bjørgen
2320 January 2013 La Clusaz, France4 × 5 km Relay C/FWorld Cup3rdØstberg / Hagen / Jacobsen

Personal life

In 2005, Skofterud turned down an offer to appear in the Norwegian edition of the men's magazine FHM.[5] The rejection came after pressure from the Norwegian Ski Federation.[6]

Skofterud suffered from eating disorders, which she claimed as a reason for canceling many competitions in the previous seasons.[7]

Skofterud confirmed in June 2008 that she was in a committed relationship with a woman. She had previously been in relationships with men.[8]

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 accident near Arendal.[9] Skofterud was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident, with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit of 0,8‰.[10] She was 38 years old.

References
  1. "Skofterud med historisk seier i Vasaloppet". www.dagbladet.no (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  2. "Skofterud gir seg på landslaget". www.vg.no (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  3. "Vibeke Skofterud: Former Olympic champion dies in jet-skiing accident". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  4. "SKOFTERUD Vibeke". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  5. Avlyste lettkledd fotografering
  6. "Five Years Ago Skofterud And Steira Lit Up Internet With This Snap". Daily Skier. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  7. "Skofterud Brings Eating Disorders into the Spotlight; 1 in 9 Athletes Affected". Faster Skier. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  8. "Skofterud står frem med jentekjæreste". www.vg.no. Verdens Gang. 20 June 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  9. Brodahl, Viljam. "Skofterud omkommet i vannscooterulykke". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2018-07-29.
  10. AS, TV 2. "Skofterud hadde promille da hun krasjet". TV 2 (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2018-09-03.
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