Yelena Välbe, née Trubitsyna ' onMouseout='HidePop("29913")' href="/topics/Magadan">Magadan

Magadan

Magadan is a port town on the Sea of Okhotsk and gateway to the Kolyma region. It is the administrative center of Magadan Oblast , in the Russian Far East. Founded in 1929 on the site of an earlier settlement from the 1920s, it was granted the status of town in 1939...

, Russian SFSR) is a Russian

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...

 former cross-country skier

Cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...

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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...

, Välbe won a record-high fourteen gold (1989: 10 km freestyle, 30 km; 1991: 10 km, 15 km, 4x5 km; 1993: 15 km, 4x5 km; 1995: 30 km, 4x5 km relay), and three silver medals (1989: 4x5 km, 1991: 30 km, 1995: 15 km), including all five golds at the 1997 championships

1997 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships

The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1997 took place February 21-March 2, 1997 in Trondheim, Norway. This event was the first time in consecutive championships that the number or type of events did not change since 1966 and 1970...

 in Trondheim

Trondheim

Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...

 (5 km, 5 km + 10 km combined pursuit, 15 km, 30 km, and 4x5 km). She also won three gold (all in relays) and four bronze medals in various 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...

 as well as the FIS Cross-Country World Cup

FIS Cross-Country World Cup

The FIS Cross-Country World Cup is an annual cross-country skiing competition, arranged by the International Ski Federation since 1981. The competition was arranged unofficially between 1973 and 1981, although it received provisional recognition on the 31...

 five times (1989, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997) (she also finished second in 1990, 1993, 1996, and third in 1994). Välbe also won the 5 km (1991) and 15 km (1992) competitions 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...

. She received 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 1992.

Together with Bjørn Dæhlie

Bjørn Dæhlie

Bjørn Erlend Dæhlie is a Norwegian businessman and retired cross-country skier. With 8 olympic gold medals, Dæhlie is the most winning winter olympic champion of all time. With nine gold medals in the Nord World Ski Championships he is in addition the most winning World Champion skier...

 of Norway, she holds the record for the number of podiums (81) in FIS Cross-Country World Cup

FIS Cross-Country World Cup

The FIS Cross-Country World Cup is an annual cross-country skiing competition, arranged by the International Ski Federation since 1981. The competition was arranged unofficially between 1973 and 1981, although it received provisional recognition on the 31...

 events. She is placed third for the number of wins (45), behind Marit Bjørgen

Marit Bjørgen

Marit Bjørgen is a Norwegian cross country skier and triple olympic champion from Midtre Gauldal, Norway. Bjørgen is the most successful sprinter in Cross-Country World Cup history, with twenty-four victories. She is ranked first in the all-time Cross-Country World Cup rankings with forty-eight...

 (47) and Bjørn Dæhlie

Bjørn Dæhlie

Bjørn Erlend Dæhlie is a Norwegian businessman and retired cross-country skier. With 8 olympic gold medals, Dæhlie is the most winning winter olympic champion of all time. With nine gold medals in the Nord World Ski Championships he is in addition the most winning World Champion skier...

 (46).
In 2010, Välbe was elected as President of the Russian Cross-Country Ski Association.

Formerly she was married with Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

n cross-country skier Urmas Välbe

Urmas Välbe

Urmas Välbe is a former Estonian cross-country skier. He currently works in a service team of the Estonian national cross-country skiing team.Urmas Välbe was married with Russian cross-country skier Yelena Välbe....

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