Kikkan Randall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kikkan Randall |
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Kikkan Randall after winning the Stockholm Royal Palace Sprint in March 2013
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| Country |  United States |
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| Born | December 31, 1982 Salt Lake City, Utah, USA |
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| Height | 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ski club | APU Ski Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 14 – (2001, 2005–2015, 2017–2018) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Individual wins | 13 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team wins | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiv. podiums | 29 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team podiums | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiv. starts | 214 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team starts | 19 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall titles | 0 – (3rd in 2013) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline titles | 3 – (3 SP, 2012, 2013, 2014) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Kikkan Randall (born December 31, 1982) is an American Olympic champion in cross-country skiing. She is famous for being the first American woman to win a World Cup cross-country ski race. She also won the first-ever World Cup title in her sport for an American woman.
Kikkan has won 17 U.S. National titles and earned 29 podium finishes (top three spots) in World Cup races. She competed in five Winter Olympic Games. In 2009, she won a silver medal at the World Championships, which was the highest finish by an American woman at that time. In 2013, she and Jessie Diggins won the first gold medal for the U.S. at the World Championships in the team sprint. Later, in 2018, Kikkan and Jessie made history again. They won the United States' first-ever Olympic gold medal in cross-country skiing at the Pyeongchang Olympics.
Contents
Becoming a Skier: Kikkan Randall's Early Life
Kikkan Randall's parents, Ronn and Deborah, met at a ski resort. Her unique name, Kikkan, was a mix of names her parents liked. Her dad wanted to name her Kikki, after a famous American alpine skier. Her mom preferred Meghan. Kikkan started skiing very young, just after her first birthday!
Skiing runs in her family. Her aunt, Betsy Haines, and uncle, Chris Haines, were both Olympic cross-country skiers. Kikkan grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. At first, she wanted to be an alpine skier or a college runner. She was a fast runner in elementary school. But in 1998, her track coach suggested cross-country skiing to stay fit in winter. That's when she found her true passion. Kikkan won 10 state titles in high school, seven in track and three in cross-country running. She was known as the fastest girl on skis in Alaska.
Kikkan Randall's Amazing Skiing Career
Starting Her Journey: Early Career Highlights
After high school, Kikkan stayed in Anchorage to train with the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center. At just 19, she made her Olympic debut at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Her sixth-place finish at the 2001 Junior World Championships was the best ever for an American woman at that time. In 2006, she won several national titles in Utah.
Breaking Through: 2006 to 2011
At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Kikkan finished ninth in the Olympic Sprint. This was the best Olympic result for an American woman in cross-country skiing. In 2007, she won a bronze medal in a World Cup sprint race in Russia. This was the first World Cup podium for an American woman. Later that year, she made history again by winning a World Cup sprint race at the same place. This was the first World Cup win for an American female skier since women's competition began in 1978.
In 2009, Kikkan won a silver medal at the Nordic Skiing World Championship. She was the first American to win a World Championship medal in cross-country skiing since 1982. At the 2010 Winter Olympics, she achieved her best individual finish, placing eighth in the sprint.
Winning Titles: 2011 to 2014
Kikkan Randall became the first American woman to win a World Cup discipline title in cross-country skiing in the 2011-2012 season. She won the season's Sprint standings. She also won two World Cup freestyle sprints that season.
The 2012-2013 season was also fantastic for Kikkan. She won four World Cup freestyle sprint events. She also won a team freestyle sprint with her teammate Jessie Diggins. Kikkan finished first in the World Cup sprint standings again. She also achieved the highest overall World Cup ranking for a U.S. woman at the time, finishing third. Most notably, Kikkan and Jessie Diggins won the first-ever team sprint gold medal for U.S. women at the World Ski Championships.
Kikkan qualified for the U.S. Olympic team for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. She topped the overall World Cup sprint standings for a third time, winning three World Cup freestyle sprint events.
Returning Strong: 2014 to 2018
In 2015, Kikkan placed third in a freestyle sprint. In October 2015, Kikkan announced she was expecting her first child. She took a break from competing in the 2015-2016 season. She returned to skiing in 2016-2017, focusing on the 2017 World Championships and the 2018 Winter Olympics.
After returning, Kikkan made steady progress. In January 2017, she finished fifth in a World Cup Sprint. At the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2017 in Finland, Kikkan won the bronze medal in the freestyle sprint. She just barely beat another skier by 0.1 seconds!
In December 2017, Kikkan earned her first World Cup podium finish in almost three years, placing third in a sprint in Switzerland. Then, at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Kikkan and Jessie Diggins made history. They became the first American cross-country skiers to win a gold medal! They won the women's team sprint event.
Other Achievements and Life Off the Snow
Kikkan Randall has also been a leader off the ski trails. In 2009, she was chosen to be part of the International Ski Federation's Athletes Commission. This group helps represent the interests of athletes. She served on this commission for eight years. In 2018, she was elected to the International Olympic Committee's Athletes Commission, continuing to be a voice for athletes around the world.
In 2011, Kikkan won the Mount Marathon Race, a tough mountain running race. She followed in the footsteps of her mother and aunt, who had also won the race years before. Kikkan was inducted into the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame in 2011 for her amazing achievements.
Kikkan Randall is married to Jeff Ellis. They have a son named Breck, who was born in April 2016. Kikkan also studies at Alaska Pacific University while training with the APU Nordic Ski Center.
Images for kids
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Kikkan Randall in 2012
See also
In Spanish: Kikkan Randall para niños
