Larisa Lazutina
Encyclopedia
Larisa Evgenevna Lazutina (; born Larisa Ptitsyna (Russian
: Лариса Птицына) on June 1, 1965 in Kondopoga
, Karelian ASSR
) is a former professional cross country skier who competed for Russia
during several Winter Olympic Games
. In the 1998 Winter Olympics
in Nagano, Japan
, she won five medals in skiing events: three gold
, a silver
and a bronze
. She was the most successful athlete at the 1998 Winter Olympics.
Upon her return from the Olympics, Boris Yeltsin
awarded her the title Hero of the Russian Federation
http://www.vor.ru/Olymp/history_eng.html#21. However, Lazutina was banned from competition for a period of 2 years due to a positive drug test
result during the 2002 Winter Olympics
in Salt Lake City.
Before the drug test controversy in 2002 ended her career, Lazutina earned several medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
. She won a total of fourteen medals, including eleven golds (5 km: (1993, 1995, 5 km + 10 km combined pursuit: 1995, 15 km: 1995, 30 km: 1999, and 4 x 5 km: 1987, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001), one silver (5 km + 10 km combined pursuit: 1993), and two bronzes (20 km: 1987 (As Larissa Ptitsyna) and 10 km: 2001). She was also the first three-time winner of the women's 30 km event at the Holmenkollen ski festival
(1995, 1998, and 2001).
Lazutina was awarded the Holmenkollen medal
in 1998 (shared with Fred Børre Lundberg
, Alexey Prokurorov, and Harri Kirvesniemi
).
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Лариса Птицына) on June 1, 1965 in Kondopoga
Kondopoga
Kondopoga is a town and the administrative center of Kondopozhsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, situated on the coast of the Kondopozhskaya Gulf of Lake Onega, near the mouth of the Suna River and Kivach Nature Reserve, about from Petrozavodsk...
, Karelian ASSR
Karelian ASSR
The Karelian ASSR was an autonomous republic of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, with the capital in Petrozavodsk.The Karelian ASSR was formed as a part of the Russian SFSR by the Resolution of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of June 27, 1923 and by the Decree of...
) is a former professional cross country skier who competed for Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
during several Winter Olympic Games
Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...
. In the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
in Nagano, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, she won five medals in skiing events: three gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, a silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and a bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
. She was the most successful athlete at the 1998 Winter Olympics.
Upon her return from the Olympics, Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
awarded her the title Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation is a Russian decoration and the highest honorary title that can be bestowed on a citizen by the Russian Federation. The President of the Russian Federation is the main conferring authority of the medal, which is bestowed on those committing actions or deeds that...
http://www.vor.ru/Olymp/history_eng.html#21. However, Lazutina was banned from competition for a period of 2 years due to a positive drug test
Drug test
A drug test is a technical analysis of a biological specimen – for example urine, hair, blood, sweat, or oral fluid / saliva – to determine the presence or absence of specified parent drugs or their metabolites...
result during the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
in Salt Lake City.
Before the drug test controversy in 2002 ended her career, Lazutina earned several medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships have been held in various numbers and types of events since 1925 for men and since 1954 for women. Championship events include nordic skiing's three disciplines: cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and nordic combined...
. She won a total of fourteen medals, including eleven golds (5 km: (1993, 1995, 5 km + 10 km combined pursuit: 1995, 15 km: 1995, 30 km: 1999, and 4 x 5 km: 1987, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001), one silver (5 km + 10 km combined pursuit: 1993), and two bronzes (20 km: 1987 (As Larissa Ptitsyna) and 10 km: 2001). She was also the first three-time winner of the women's 30 km event at the Holmenkollen ski festival
Holmenkollen ski festival
The Holmenkollen Ski Festival is a traditional annual Nordic skiing event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic. It takes place in March and has been arranged every year since 1892, except for 1898 and during World War II...
(1995, 1998, and 2001).
Lazutina was awarded the Holmenkollen medal
Holmenkollen medal
The Holmenkollen medal is Norwegian skiing's highest award for competitors. It signifies top placings in international championships and other international events, including the Holmenkollen events....
in 1998 (shared with Fred Børre Lundberg
Fred Børre Lundberg
Fred Børre Lundberg is a former Nordic combined skier from Bardu, Norway...
, Alexey Prokurorov, and Harri Kirvesniemi
Harri Kirvesniemi
Harri Tapani Kirvesniemi is a Finnish former cross country skier who competed from 1980 to 2001. During his career he won six Olympic medals , and also the 50 km event at the Holmenkollen ski festival in 2000...
).
See also
- Olga DanilovaOlga DanilovaOlga Danilova is a Russian cross country skier who competed from 1991 until she was banned for using performance enhancing drugs in 2002...
- Johann MühleggJohann MühleggJohann Mühlegg is a Spanish top level cross-country skier who has competed in international competitions first representing Germany and then Spain, after becoming a Spanish citizen in 1999...
- List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event