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Anja Pärson

Anja Pärson
— Alpine skier —
Anja Pärson Semmering 2008.jpg
Anja Pärson in 2008
Disciplines Downhill, super-G, slalom, combined, giant slalom
Club Tärna IK Fjällvinden, Tärnaby
Born (1981-04-25) 25 April 1981 (age 35)
Umeå, Västerbotten, Sweden
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
World Cup debut 15 March 1998 (age 16)
Retired 15 March 2012 (age 30)
Website anjapaerson.com
Olympics
Teams 3 – (20022010)
Medals 6 (1 gold)
World Championships
Teams 7 – (19992011)
Medals 13 (7 gold)
World Cup
Seasons 15 – (19982012)
Wins 42
Podiums 95
Overall titles 2 – (2004, 2005)
Discipline titles 5 – (3 GS, 1 SL, 1 SC)

Anja Sofia Tess Pärson (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈanˈja ˈpæːʂɔn]; born 25 April 1981) is a Swedish former alpine skier. She is an Olympic gold medalist, seven-time gold medalist at the World Championships, and two-time overall Alpine Skiing World Cup champion. She has won a total of 42 World Cup races.

Pärson was born in Tärnaby, Sweden and has Sami roots. Pärson was introduced to ski racing by her sister, Frida, and is now trained by her father, Anders. Her first World Cup race was a giant slalom at the World Cup Finals at Crans-Montana, Switzerland (on 15 March 1998). She qualified for that race as the new junior World Champion but only finished 25th in last place. She won her first World Cup race, a slalom at Mammoth Mountain, California, in December 1998 at age 17, and her first gold medal at St. Anton, Austria, in 2001. She clinched the silver medal in the giant slalom and the bronze medal in the slalom at the 2002 Winter Olympics, and added the gold in slalom plus two more bronze medals in downhill and combined in 2006 Winter Olympics.

Pärson won the Alpine Skiing World Cup overall title in 2004 and 2005. The latter title was won by the smallest margin ever, only 3 points over her fierce rival, Janica Kostelić. Initially a slalom and giant slalom specialist, she won her first super-G and downhill races in March 2005 at San Sicario, Italy, during the pre-Olympic competitions. In total, she has won 42 World Cup races in all five disciplines.


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