Lydia Wideman (later Wideman-Lehtonen, 17 May 1920 – 13 April 2019) was a cross-country skier from Finland and the first female Olympic medalist in cross-country skiing. In 1952 she competed in thirteen 10 km races and won all of them, including the 1952 Winter Olympics, national championships and Lahti Ski Games.[1]
![]() | This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in Finnish. (April 2019) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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![]() Wideman at the 1952 Olympics | ||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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Born | (1920-05-17)17 May 1920 Vilppula, Finland | |||||||||||||
Died | 13 April 2019(2019-04-13) (aged 98) Tampere, Finland | |||||||||||||
Height | 163 cm (5 ft 4 in) | |||||||||||||
Weight | 61–62 kg (134–137 lb) | |||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||
Sport | Cross-country skiing | |||||||||||||
Club | Tamperen Hiihtoseura | |||||||||||||
Medal record
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Wideman and her twin sister Tyyne were born in a family of ten siblings. Many members of her family were skilled cross-country skiers.[2] In particular, Tyyne won the national 10 km title in 1949–1951, beating Lydia in 1951, but retiring the same year.[3]
In February 2018, following the death of Durward Knowles, she became the oldest living Olympic champion.[4] She died on 13 April 2019, aged 98.[5][6]
All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[7]
Year | Age | 10 km |
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1952 | 31 | Gold |
Media related to Lydia Wideman at Wikimedia Commons
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