Bente Skari

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Medal record
Women's cross-country skiing
Olympic Games
Gold	2002 Salt Lake City	10 km classical
Silver	1998 Nagano	4 x 5 km
Silver	2002 Salt Lake City	4 × 5 km
Bronze	1998 Nagano	5 km classical
Bronze	2002 Salt Lake City	30 km classical
World Championships
Gold	1999 Ramsau	5 km
Gold	2001 Lahti	10 km
Gold	2001 Lahti	15 km
Gold	2003 Val di Fiemme	10 km
Gold	2003 Val di Fiemme	15 km
Silver	1997 Trondheim	4 x 5 km
Silver	2001 Lahti	4 x 5 km

Bente Skari nèe Martinsen (born September 10, 1972 in Oslo) is a former cross country skier from Nittedal, Norway.

She won her first Olympic medals in 1998, and won her first gold medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics, coming from behind to beat the favourites Olga Danilova and Julija Tchepalova in the last kilometers of the 10 km classical event. She also won a bronze medal in 30 km classical as well as a silver medal in the relay.

Additionally, she won five gold medals (5 km: 1999, 10 km: 2001, 2003, and 15 km: 2001, 2003) from the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, as well as two silver (4 x 5km: 1997, 2001) medals. She won the overall cross-country skiing World Cup four times before retiring after the 2002/03 season.

Skari also won the women's 30 km event at the Holmenkollen ski festival in 2003. In 2001 she received the Holmenkollen medal (shared with Adam Malysz and Thomas Alsgaard). Her father, Odd Martinsen, earned the Holmenkollen medal in 1969. They are the only father-daughter combination to ever win this prestigious honour.

Bente Skari was named Martinsen before marrying Geir Skari in 1999.

[edit] External links

• FIS Profile (Shown as Bente Skari Martinsen.)
• Holmenkollen medalists - click Holmenkollmedaljen for downloadable pdf file (Norwegian)
• Holmenkollen winners since 1892 - click Vinnere for downloadable pdf file (Norwegian)

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World champions in women's 5 km cross-country skiing

1962: Alevtina Kolchina * 1966: Alevtina Kolchina * 1970: Galina Kulakova * 1974: Galina Kulakova * 1978: Helena Takalo * 1982: Berit Aunli * 1985: Anette Bøe * 1987: Marjo Matikanen * 1991: Trude Dybendahl * 1993: Larisa Lazutina * 1995: Larisa Lazutina * 1997: Yelena Välbe * 1999: Bente Martinsen

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World champions in women's 10 km cross-country skiing

1954: Lyubov Kozyreva * 1958: Alevtina Kolchina * 1962: Alevtina Kolchina * 1966: Klavdiya Boyarskikh * 1970: Alevtina Olyunina * 1974: Galina Kulakova * 1978: Zinaida Amosova * 1982: Berit Aunli * 1985: Anette Bøe * 1987: Anne Jahren * 1989 classical: Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi * 1989 freestyle: Yelena Välbe * 1991: Yelena Välbe * 2001: Bente Skari * 2003: Bente Skari * 2005: Kateřina Neumannová * 2007: Kateřina Neumannová

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World champions in women's 15 km cross-country skiing

1989: Marjo Matikainen * 1991: Yelena Välbe * 1993: Yelena Välbe * 1995: Larisa Lazutina * 1997: Yelena Välbe * 1999: Stefania Belmondo * 2001: Bente Skari * 2003: Bente Skari

Preceded by Kazuyoshi Funaki

Holmenkollen medal with Adam Małysz & Thomas Alsgaard 2001

Succeeded by Felix Gottwald & Ronny Ackermann