Shirley Firth

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Shirley Firth Cross-country skiing
Full name Shirley Anne Firth-Larsson
nation CanadaCanada Canada
birthday December 31, 1953
place of birth Aklavik , Canada
size 164 cm
Weight 52 kg
date of death April 30, 2013
Place of death Yellowknife , Canada
Career
society Inuvik Ski Club
National squad since 1967
End of career 1984
Placements in the cross-country skiing world cup
 Debut in the World Cup January 9, 1982
 Overall World Cup 11. ( 1981/82 )
 

Shirley Anne Firth-Larsson , CM (born December 31, 1953 in Aklavik , Northwest Territories , † April 30, 2013 in Yellowknife , Northwest Territories) was a Canadian cross-country skier .

As a member of the Gwich'in Indian tribe , she and her sister Sharon Firth were one of the first natives to represent Canada at the Olympic Games .

Career

When Firth was five years old, the family from Aklavik moved to Inuvik , where they were accepted into a training program to learn how to ski. At the age of 13, she took part in her first competition in Anchorage and won. In the course of her career Firth took part in four Olympic Winter Games and four Nordic World Ski Championships . In total, she was able to win 42 medals at Canadian, university and Nordic championships - 29 gold, 10 silver and 3 bronze.

After their wedding, Firth moved to Europe for 20 years, where she graduated from the University of Paris in 2002 . She then gave a lecture on the Inuit cultures at various universities, schools and cultural centers in Central Europe and Scandinavia.

As of 2005, she lived in Yellowknife , Northwest Territories.

Awards

Firth has been named Canadian Cross Country Skier of the Year by Ski Racing Magazine six times . In 1972 she received the John Semmelink Memorial Award from the Canadian Ski Association. Nine years later, the Government of the Northwest Territories presented her with the Commissioner's Award . In 1987 she was awarded the Order of Canada . She was also inducted into the Canada Ski Museum Hall of Fame in 1990. She has also been the recipient of the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal since 2002 .

The Firth Award , named after Shirley and Sharon Firth, is presented annually to women who have made an exceptional contribution to Canadian cross-country skiing.

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