Toini Gustafsson

Toini Gustafsson Rönnlund (born Toini Karvonen; 17 January 1938) is a Swedish former cross-country skier. She competed in the 1964 and 1968 Winter Olympics and won four medals. Gustafsson also won the 10 km race at the Holmenkollen ski festival in each of 1960, 1967, and 1968. At the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships she collected three medals with a silver in 1962 (3 × 5 km relay) and two bronzes in 1966 (10 km and 3 × 5 km relay).

Toini Gustafsson Rönnlund in 2014
Country Sweden
Full nameToini Lempi Gustafsson Rönnlund
Born (1938-01-17) 17 January 1938
Suomussalmi, Kainuu, Finland
Height162 cm (5 ft 4 in)
Ski clubIFK Likenäs
Skellefteå SK
Medal record
Women's cross-country skiing
Representing  Sweden
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 2 2 0
World Championships 0 1 2
Total 2 3 2
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1968 Grenoble 5 km
Gold medal – first place 1968 Grenoble 10 km
Silver medal – second place 1964 Innsbruck 3 × 5 km relay
Silver medal – second place 1968 Grenoble 3 × 5 km relay
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1962 Zakopane 3 × 5 km relay
Bronze medal – third place 1966 Oslo 10 km
Bronze medal – third place 1966 Oslo 3 × 5 km relay

For her successes in Nordic skiing and at the Holmenkollen, Gustafsson received the Holmenkollen medal in 1967 (Shared with Ole Ellefsæter). She is the first Swedish woman to win the Holmenkollen medal. In 1968, she was awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal.[1]

She was married twice and had a daughter, Eva, born in 1956. In 1968 she divorced her first husband and married Swedish former cross-country skier Assar Rönnlund, with whom she had two more children.[2] They became the second husband-wife team to win the Holmenkollen medal (Rönnlund earned the medal in 1968). Additionally, they are the only husband-wife team to win the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal.[3]

Gustafsson is an ethnic Finn. She was born in Suomussalmi, Finland, but was evacuated to Sweden as a Finnish war child in 1944. She retired from competition in 1968 and later worked as a physical education teacher.[3][4]

She is the paternal grandmother of cross-country skier Elina Rönnlund.[5]

Cross-country skiing results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[6]

Olympic Games

  • 4 medals – (2 gold, 2 silver)
 Year   Age   5 km   10 km   3 × 5 km 
 relay 
19642668Silver
196830GoldGoldSilver

World Championships

  • 3 medals – (1 silver, 2 bronze)
 Year   Age   5 km   10 km   3 × 5 km 
 relay 
196224Silver
1966286BronzeBronze

References

  1. "Bragdmedaljörer genom tiderna" (in Swedish). Svenska dagbladet. 6 December 2005. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  2. "Assar Rönnlund död" (in Swedish). Svenska dagbladet. 5 January 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  3. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Toini Gustafsson". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.
  4. Toini Rönnlund. Swedish Olympic Committee
  5. Thorén, Petra (3 December 2018). "Ikonens barnbarn gör debut: "Jag är stolt..."" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  6. "GUSTAFSSON Toini". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
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