Anja Pärson

Swedish alpine skier who became the first skier in history, male or female, to win World Championship gold medals in all five alpine disciplines.

Anja Sofia Tess Pärson was born on 25 April 1981 in Umeå, Sweden, and grew up in Tärnaby, the same tiny village that produced Ingemar Stenmark, whom she idolized. Coached throughout her career by her father Anders, she won her first World Cup race, a slalom at Mammoth Mountain, at just 17 in December 1998. Pärson developed a fierce rivalry with Croatia's Janica Kostelić, winning the overall World Cup title in 2004 and 2005, the latter by the smallest margin in history, just three points. At the 2006 Turin Olympics, after bronze medals in the combined and downhill, she won her first Olympic gold in the slalom, celebrating with her signature 'walrus' belly-flop slide across the finish snow. Her defining achievement came at the 2007 World Championships in her home country, at Åre, where despite knee surgery the previous season she won three gold medals across super-G, super combined and downhill, becoming the first skier in history, male or female, to win World Championship golds in all five disciplines. At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics she suffered a frightening 60-metre fall in the downhill while chasing Lindsey Vonn, but recovered to win bronze in the combined the next day, her sixth Olympic medal. She retired in 2012 with 42 World Cup victories and 17 combined Olympic/World Championship medals, a women's record at the time.

Powerful, muscular technique across all disciplines with a smooth style that belied her strength, particularly dominant in slalom and giant slalom

Regarded as one of the greatest all-round female skiers ever, and Sweden's most successful alpine racer after Ingemar Stenmark

• 2006 Olympic Gold Medal, Slalom
• First skier (male or female) to win World Championship gold in all 5 disciplines
• 7x World Champion (2001-2007)
• 2x Overall World Cup Champion (2004, 2005)