Cross-country skiing
Representing Sweden
Paralympic Games
	2014 Sochi	Cross-country skiing at the 2014 Winter Paralympics – Women's 15 km Free
	2014 Sochi	4 x 2.5 kilometre mixed relay

Updated on 29 September 2016.

Helene Barbro Ripa (born 22 August 1971) is a Swedish paralympic athlete who has participated in various swimming, cross-country skiing, mountain bike orienteering and canoeing events. As a swimmer, she qualified for the 1992 Paralympic Games but finished outside of medal considerations. At the 2014 Paralympics in Sochi, Ripa won a gold medal in cross-country skiing, in her first Paralympic skiing event and subsequently also a silver medal. She competed in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in canoeing, marking three paralympic appearances in three different sports.

At the age of fourteen, Helene Ripa was diagnosed with cancer in her right leg and doctors were forced to amputate her leg above the knee. Following her rehabilitation, she took up swimming. She swam for Nacka HI, representing the club winning several championships between 1988 and 1993. Amongst these were 23 Swedish Championship medals, ten of those gold; she also won four medals at the European Championship in Barcelona in 1991, including one gold medal. She won five medals during the swimming championships in 1993, three of them were gold medals. Ripa qualified for the 1992 Paralympic Games but did not win any medals.

In 1993, she was forced to end her swimming career due to injuries, opting instead to learn interior decorating. This allowed her to move to New York City to work as an interior decorator. Following her stay in New York, Ripa returned to Stockholm, where she started her own dressmaking business which specialized in home decorating. Her dressmaking business lasted for about seven years.

In 2003, she met her future husband Ronnie Pettersson, whose athletic interests motivated her back into sports. This time she participated in cycling, paddling and skiing. In 2011 in Tjejvasan, Ripa competed in a cross-country skiing event for the first time. In 2012, she qualified for Sweden's cross-country national team. Following several good results, she placed sixth in the Total World Cup IPC Nordic Skiing 2012/13.

At the 2014 Paralympics in Sochi, Ripa won a gold medal in the 15 km classic cross-country event. It was her first Paralympic start as a competitive skier. By winning the event, she became Sweden's first Paralympic Winter Games gold medalist since the 1994 Winter Paralympics in Lillehammer. In the mix-relay, she competed with Zebastian Modin and the duo won a silver medal. Ripa was nominated for Bragdguldet, Jerringpriset ("The Jerring Award") and "Achievement of the Year" at the Svenska Idrottsgalan ("Sweedish Athletics Gala") for her success at the 2014 Games.

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