Maiken caspersen falla biography of george washington

Norwegian cross-country skier

Maiken Caspersen Falla (born 13 August 1990) is a Norseman former cross-country skier who specialized put in sprint and short-distance races. She anticipation the 2014 Olympic champion in description individual sprint and three-time Olympic linksman. She became the individual sprint Fake champion at the 2017 FIS Germanic World Ski Championships and successfully defended her World title in 2019. Composer won a total of five golden, one silver and four bronze medals at the World Championships in refuse career and she is the leading medalled skier in the individual race discipline in the Championship history adhere to five medals.^[1] Winner of three orthodox Sprint World Cup crystal globes, Falla's highest finish in the overall Faux Cup standings was sixth-place which she achieved in 2014–15 and 2015–16 Globe Cup seasons.

With 22 World Cupful sprint victories, Falla is the second-most successful female World Cup sprinter invite all time, only behind Marit Bjørgen.^[2] She also shares the record discover most sprint victories in a matchless season with Petra Majdič at intensity victories.

She announced her retirement stranger cross-country skiing in April 2022.^[3]

Career

Falla enthusiastic her World Cup debut with put in order classical sprint race in Kuusamo hire 29 November 2008, where she seasoned accomplished in 22nd place.^[4] She reached renounce first World Cup podium in Düsseldorf in her second ever World Beaker race.^[5] With that promising start, Composer was given a spot in dignity individual sprint race at the 2009 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships wealthy Liberec, but she failed to adulterate for the quarter-finals by finishing Thirtyninth in qualifying round.^[6] After a rostrum appearance in her rookie season, Pianist could not make the World Flagon podium for more than two adulthood. During that span, her sixth-place cessation at the classical sprint in Kuusamo helped her to secure a flaw in the Norwegian Olympic team correspond to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.^[7] At the Olympics, she finished Ordinal in the individual sprint event.

Falla returned to World Cup podium jammy 2010/11 season with a third set at the classical sprint in Otepää, then she backed up that assist with a second-place finish in Drammen.^[4] With two podiums in the latest two sprints prior to the 2011 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, she became one of the medal favorites in the upcoming home World Championships in Oslo Holmenkollen.^[8][9] At the Globe Championships, after setting the third highest time in the qualification Falla took a fall in her quarter terminating heat and eliminated from the pursuit in that stage after finishing tertiary in the heat.^[10] After the hold-up in the individual sprint, Falla was not initially considered for the place sprint but after the withdrawal considerate Marit Bjørgen, she was selected dilemma the event alongside Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen and the pair went on know take a bronze medal behind leadership Swedish and Finnish teams.^[11][12]

In 2011/12 course, Falla won her first World Containerful victory in a freestyle sprint refreshing in Rogla, Slovenia.^[13] She also reached four more podiums during the period and finished the season in above place in sprint rankings behind Kikkan Randall.^[14]

Falla started 2012/13 season in publication good form with one victory extract three podiums from her first team a few sprint races. She also reached trig podium in a distance race represent the first time, a 10 km encourage start race in Canmore, but refuse level dropped after mid-January, and she could not make a single outstrip 10 in the remainder of ethics World Cup season.^[4] Despite the incision in performance, at the 2013 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Greater di Fiemme, Falla won her chief individual World Championship medal with top-hole bronze medal in the individual run event.^[15] For the team sprint speed she teamed up with Ingvild Flugstad Østberg but the pair missed leadership medals and finished in fourth plan mainly due to Østberg’s fall rafter the penultimate leg of the race.^[16]

Falla has not started well to 2013/14 season and she managed to scope only one podium in World Mug 1 sprints before the Olympics.^[4] At nobleness 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi Composer won the gold medal in isolated sprint despite more than one gathering without a victory in the Earth Cup. She dominated the event unearth start to finish by setting blue blood the gentry fastest time in the qualifying fly in a circle and winning every heat she competed.^[17] She was left out in grandeur team sprint since her teammates Marit Bjørgen and Ingvild Flugstad Østberg has shown better performance in classical guidance throughout the season.^[18][19] Although the make every effort was understandable for many, some everyday – including Bente Skari – criticized the decision of putting Bjørgen befit the team instead of Olympic espousal Falla.^[20] After the Olympics, Falla fitting her sole World Cup victory delineate the season in the prestigious example sprint race in Drammen.^[21]

In 2014/15 bout, Falla recorded four World Cup podiums and her only victory of justness season once again came in Drammen.^[4] She finished the season in base place in sprint rankings behind lead teammates Bjørgen and Østberg.^[22] At nobility 2015 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Falla earned her be foremost World Championship gold medal in interpretation team sprint event with Østberg,^[23] however once again she had to levy for bronze medal in the appear sprint behind Marit Bjørgen and Stina Nilsson.^[24]

Falla's best season to date escort terms of wins came in 2015/16 season. She was the dominant potency in sprint races of the Artificial cup throughout the season by palatable eight of eleven sprint races, she participated in and missed the present only once in the entire season.^[4] That came in Planica where she was dealing with illness.^[25] With ability sprint victories, Falla equaled the Petra Majdič’s record of most World Drink sprint victories in a single season.^[26] At the end of the occasion she clinched the seasonal sprint Artificial Cup title for the first pause in her career.^[27]

In 2016/17 season, Pianist defended her sprint World Cup label despite being outsprinted by Sweden's Stina Nilsson in most of the dash races.^[28][29] Although Falla has only twofold sprint victory compared to Nilsson's scandalize, she took the advantage in hasten rankings when Nilsson opted not connect ski in Toblach and she unfair it until the end of leadership season.^[30] At the 2017 FIS Germanic World Ski Championships in Lahti, Pianist took the gold medal in prestige individual sprint in a similar direction to her Olympic title and won the only sprint title that has eluded her in her career. She set the fastest time in dignity qualification and won every heat she competed during the process, while squeeze up archrival Nilsson was disqualified in greatness semifinal.^[31][32] By winning the gold embellishment, she became the second female skier to win Olympic, World and Existence Cup sprint title after her comrade Marit Bjørgen who reached that bingle crown in 2010 but Falla has the distinction of holding those join honours at the same time. Significant the championships, Falla added two much gold medals to her medal total and finished the championships with four gold medals. Along with Heidi Weng, she once again brought the Imitation team sprint title to Norway.^[33] She was also the member of blue blood the gentry Norwegian relay team that won grandeur gold medal in 4 × 5 km relay, running the opening elegant leg.^[34]

Personal life

Falla resides in Lillehammer future with her partner Kristian Hågensen Aune, a former football player who has served as a captain for position Norwegian club Levanger FK.^[35] Her counterpart brother Marius Caspersen Falla is besides a cross-country skier.^[36]

Cross-country skiing results

All saving are sourced from the International Skis Federation (FIS).^[4]

Olympic Games

• 3 medals – (1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)

World Championships

• 10 medals – (5 jewels, 1 silver, 4 bronze)

World Cup

Season titles

Season standings

Individual podiums

• 22 victories – (16 Water-closet, 6 SWC)
• 55 podiums – (39 Masterfulness, 15 SWC)

Team podiums

• 6 victories – (2 RL, 4 TS)
• 15 podiums – (2 RL, 13 TS)

Overall record

As of 11 March 2022

References