Manuela Di Centa

Manuela Di Centa (born 31 January 1963) is an Italian former cross-country skier and Olympic athlete. She is the sister of former cross-country skier Giorgio Di Centa and cousin of former track and field athlete Venanzio Ortis.

Career Di Centa, born in Paluzza, province of Udine, to a family of Nordic skiers, made her debut on the Italian national team in 1980 at the age of 17, skied with the G.S. Forestale. Two years later, she competed at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oslo, finishing in eighth place. After a quarrel with the president of the Italian Skiing Federation, Di Centa left the national team, not returning until 1986.

At the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, she finished sixth in the 20 km freestyle. She won her first medals in international competition at the 1991 World Championships in Val di Fiemme: a silver (4 × 5 km relay) and two bronzes (5 km, 30 km). An Olympic medal followed in 1992, a bronze in the 4 × 5 km relay. In 1993, at the Falun World Championships, she won two more silvers (30 km, 4 × 5 km relay). At the 1995 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, she won another silver (30 km) and a bronze (5 km).

Di Centa also became Italian national champion in fell running in 1985, 1989 and 1991.

Di Centa seemed confined to the role of the eternal second, but this changed abruptly at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, where she medaled in all five cross-country events: two gold, two silver and one bronze medal. The same year she also won her first aggregate Cross-Country Skiing World Cup, a feat she repeated in 1996.

In 1996 she was the first Italian cross-country skier to receive the Holmenkollen Medal. Her last title was a bronze at the 1998 Winter Olympics in the 4 × 5 km relay.

After retiring, Di Centa worked for Italian television (RAI), and became a member of the Italian and International Olympic Committees.

Di Centa became the first Italian woman to climb Mount Everest (with supplementary oxygen) in 2003.

2006 Winter Olympics As a member of the International Olympic Committee and the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) and as one of Italy's most accomplished Winter Olympic athletes, Di Centa played a prominent public role in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. She was one of the eight flag bearers during the Opening Ceremonies. At the Closing Ceremonies, she participated in the awarding of medals to the winners of the men's 50 km cross-country race. Coincidentally, the gold medal winner was her younger brother Giorgio.

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

Olympic Games 7 medals – (2 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze) Year Age 5 km 10 km 15 km Pursuit 20 km 30 km 4 × 5 km relay 1984 21 24 28 26 9 1988 25 18 20 6 — 1992 29 12 — 10 6 Bronze 1994 31 Silver Gold Silver Gold Bronze 1998 35 21 — 23 — Bronze

World Championships 7 medals – (4 silver, 3 bronze)

World Cup Season standings Season Age Overall Long Distance Sprint 1982 18 22 1984 20 49 1987 23 49 1988 24 27 1989 25 4 1990 26 5 1991 27 5 1992 28 9 1993 29 5 1994 30 1995 31 20 1996 32 1997 33 4127 — 1998 34 20 20 21

Individual podiums

15 victories 35 podiums

Team podiums

1 victory – (1 ) 9 podiums – (8 , 1 )

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

National titles Italian Mountain Running Championships Mountain running: 1985, 1989, 1991 (3)

Politics Manuela Di Centa, who has been vice-president of the National Council of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) until 2006, is also involved in politics and was a member of the Chamber of Deputies for Forza Italia, between 2006 and 2013. She became a member of the International Olympic Committee in 1999 and remained there until 2010. She currently serves as the head of the Olympic organizing committee for the 2028 Winter Youth Olympics.

Doping allegations The Swedish investigative television programme Uppdrag granskning claimed that Di Centa had an exceptionally high haemoglobin level prior to a World Cup in Lahti in 1997. Di Centa's haemoglobin value was measured in an official pre-competition test as high as 17.3 g/dL. The allowed limit to start in an official FIS competition is 16.5 g/dL.