Pernilla Wiberg facts for kids
Pernilla Wiberg (born 15 October 1970) is a famous Swedish former alpine ski racer and businesswoman. She competed in the World Cup from 1990 to 2002. She is one of the few skiers who have won races in all five alpine skiing events. Pernilla won two Olympic gold medals, four World Championships, and one World Cup overall title. This makes her one of the most successful alpine ski racers of the 1990s. She was born in Norrköping, Sweden.
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Pernilla Wiberg in December 2011
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| Disciplines | Downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, combined | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Club | Norrköpings SK | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 15 October 1970 Norrköping, Sweden |
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| Height | 1.61 m (5 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup debut | 13 March 1990 (age 19) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | March 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | pernilla-wiberg.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 4 – (1992 -2002) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 3 (2 gold) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 5 – (1991 -2001) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 6 (4 gold) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 13 – (1990 -2002) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Podiums | 61 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall titles | 1 – 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline titles | 4 – SL (1997), K (1994, 1995, 1997) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Contents
Skiing Career Highlights
Pernilla Wiberg started her international career in the early 1990s. Her first World Cup race was in Vemdalen, Sweden, in March 1990. She finished 5th in slalom. Just five days later, she placed 3rd in giant slalom in Åre.
In 1991, Pernilla won three World Cup races. She also earned a gold medal in giant slalom at the 1991 World Championships in Saalbach. This was a big deal because it was the first Alpine World Championship gold for a Scandinavian woman in 33 years!
By the end of her career in 2002, Pernilla had won 24 World Cup races in total. This includes at least one victory in each of the five different alpine skiing events. She also won six medals at five World Championships: four gold, one silver, and one bronze.
Her best season was in 1996–1997. That year, she won ten World Cup races. She also took home the overall title, the slalom title, and the combined title. She was especially strong in slalom, winning 5 out of 9 races. She even won her first World Cup downhill race that season. This made her one of the first women to win World Cup races in all five alpine disciplines.
Today, Pernilla Wiberg works as an alpine skiing commentator for Sveriges Television.
Olympic Achievements
Pernilla Wiberg had amazing success at the Olympic Games. She won the giant slalom gold medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville. Then, at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, she won the combined gold medal. She was the most successful Swedish athlete at both of these Olympics.
In 1998 in Nagano, she earned a silver medal in the downhill event. Pernilla considers this silver medal to be one of her proudest achievements. Her last Olympics were in 2002, when she was 31. She finished 14th in downhill and 12th in super-G. She retired from international racing a few weeks later due to knee surgery.
Special Awards
In 1991, Pernilla Wiberg received the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal. This award is given to the best Swedish sports performance of the year. The judges praised her "sensational giant slalom victory" at the World Championships. In the same year, she also won the Jerring Award, which is voted on by the Swedish public. She won this award again the following year.
Role in the Olympic Committee
Pernilla Wiberg was chosen to be a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2002. The IOC is a group that organizes the Olympic Games and promotes sports around the world. She served an eight-year term until 2010. During her time, she was part of several important groups, including the Athletes' Commission and the Ethics Commission. In 2008, she was chosen to lead a special group that looked at cities wanting to host the first Winter Youth Olympic Games.
Working for Peace Through Sport
Pernilla is a member of the 'Champions for Peace' club. This group includes many famous athletes who use sport to help bring peace to the world. It was started by Peace and Sport, an international organization based in Monaco. Other well-known athletes in this group include pole vaulter Sergey Bubka, runner Paula Radcliffe, and tennis player Novak Djokovic.
Personal Life
Pernilla Wiberg is married to Bødvar Bjerke, and they have two children: Axel (born 2003) and Sofia (born 2007). She has lived in Monaco since 1995.
She is also a businesswoman. She owns and runs the Pernilla Wiberg Hotel at Idre Fjäll in Dalarna, Sweden.
Images for kids
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Pernilla Wiberg in December 2011
See also
In Spanish: Pernilla Wiberg para niños
- List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup women's race winners
