Background
Kristina Šmigun-Vähi was coached by her father.
Kristina Šmigun-Vähi was coached by her father.
Her parents, Anatoli Šmigun and Rutt Rehemaa were both prominent Nordic skiers. With two golds and one silver, Kristina Šmigun-Vähi is the most successful Estonian athlete in Olympic history (summer or winter), tying the record of men"s cross-country skier Andrus Veerpalu. Šmigun-Vähi has also found success at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, earning six medals.
This included one gold (2003: 5 km + 5 km double pursuit), three silvers (1999: 15 km, 2003: 10 km, 15 km), and two bronzes (1999, 2003: both in 30 km).
In 2015, the International Olympic Committee is retesting samples going back eight years with newer methods and looking for substances that at the time could not be traced. lieutenant has said the retesting of the Turin samples had been done but that no information would be provided until the whole process was complete.
The International Skiing Federation did not confirm or deny the retired athlete tested positive. 16 wins (14 Individual, 2 Sprint).
On 12 February 2006, she won the Winter Olympics gold medal for the 7.5 km + 7.5 km double pursuit, becoming the first Estonian woman to win a medal at the Winter Olympics. Four days later, she won a second gold medal in the 10 km classical. On 15 February 2010, she won her third Olympic medal, a silver in the 10 km freestyle race.
