Larisa Lazutina

Larisa Yevgenyevna Lazutina (; ; born 1 June 1965) is a Russian former professional cross-country skier.

Career Lazutina was awarded the Holmenkollen medal in 1998 (shared with Fred Børre Lundberg, Alexey Prokurorov and Harri Kirvesniemi). She made her Olympic debut in 1988. Lazutina won her first Olympic medal in 1992, winning a team gold that year. At the 1994 Winter Olympics, Lazutina won a further relay gold. At the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, she won five medals: three gold, one silver and one bronze. She was the most successful athlete at the 1998 Winter Games. After the Olympics, Boris Yeltsin awarded her the title Hero of the Russian Federation.

Lazutina earned numerous medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. She won a total of sixteen medals, including eleven gold, three silver and two bronze medals. She was also the first three-time winner of the women's 30 km event at the Holmenkollen ski festival (1995, 1998 and 2001).

In 2002, at her fifth Olympics, she again participated in the cross-country skiing events at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Lazutina won two medals with a gold in the 5 km + 5 km combined pursuit and a silver in the 10 km classical. However, she was one of three cross-country skiers (together with Johann Mühlegg and Olga Danilova) who were disqualified after blood tests indicated the use of darbepoetin, a drug intended to boost red blood cell production.

In February 2004, the International Olympic Committee stripped Lazutina's 2002 Olympic medals following a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling in December 2003. The results were amended accordingly. As a result of the use of the banned substance, Larisa Lazutina received a two-year ban by the International Ski Federation in 2002.

In 2015, a sports park named after Lazutina opened in Odintsovo, Moscow region. Its full name is .

Cross-country skiing results All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).

Olympic Games 7 medals – (5 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze) Year Age 5 km 10 km 15 km Pursuit 30 km Sprint 4 × 5 km relay 1992 26 7 — 8 5 Gold 1994 28 6 5 4 — Gold 1998 32 Gold Silver Gold Bronze Gold 2002 36 —

World Championships 16 medals – (11 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze)

a. Cancelled due to extremely cold weather.

World Cup

Season titles 4 titles – (2 overall, 2 long distance)

Season standings Season Age OverallLong DistanceMiddle DistanceSprint 1984 18 49 1986 20 25 1987 21 13 1989 23 5 1990 24 1992 26 11 1993 27 4 1994 28 5 1995 29 1996 30 1997 31 8 6 10 1998 32 1999 33 5 6 2000 34 3 15 2001 35 15 2002 36 54

Individual podiums 21 victories 62 podiums

Team podiums 33 victories 41 podiums

Note: Until the 1999 World Championships and the 1994 Olympics, World Championship and Olympic races were included in the World Cup scoring system.

Personal life She is married to cross-country skier Gennady Lazutin.