Birgit Skarstein

Birgit Lovise Røkkum Skarstein (born 10 February 1989) is a Norwegian Paralympic athlete and social entrepreneur. She has 11 World Championship medals (seven in rowing and four in cross-country skiing) and is the regining World Champion and Paralympic champion in the rowing class PR1Wx, where she also holds the world record.[1]

Birgit Skarstein
Skarstein in 2013
Personal information
Full nameBirgit Røkkum Skarstein
NationalityNorwegian
Born10 February 1989 (1989-02-10) (age 34)
Sport
SportRowing
Cross-country skiing
Medal record
Women's pararowing
Representing  Norway
Summer Paralympics
Gold medal – first place2020 TokyoPR1 single sculls
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2014 AmsterdamAS single sculls
Gold medal – first place2017 SarasotaPR1 single sculls
Gold medal – first place2018 PlovdivPR1 single sculls
Gold medal – first place2019 OttensheimPR1 single sculls
Gold medal – first place2022 RačicePR1 single sculls
Silver medal – second place2013 ChungjuAS single sculls
Bronze medal – third place2015 AiguebeletteAS single sculls
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2021 VaresePR1 single sculls
Gold medal – first place2022 MunichPR1 single sculls

She won gold at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, in Women's single sculls.[2][3][4] She has won the world cup overall title in both rowing and cross country skiing and has several individual world cup wins in both sports. Skarstein was in 2018 elected as a member of the International Paralympic Committee Athletes’ Council,[5] where she in 2022 was re-elected for a second term.

Skarstein is a member of World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers, and was a delegate and speaker at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos in 2022,[6] as well as a panellist and speaker at the Nobel Peace Prize Nobel Week Dialogue on the topic of "Future of Life".[7]

Background

Birgit grew up in Levanger, Norway and was active within school politics and activities such as climbing, hiking and swimming. After finishing high school in 2008 she travelled to Thailand to work as a volunteer at an orphanage. Whilst travelling to renew her visa in December 2008, she injured her foot in a diving accident – an accident that required surgery. She was flown home to Norway and underwent several procedures. During one of the procedures she had an injection of anaesthetic into the epidural space of the spine, but it never wore off.[8] She gradually lost the feeling in her legs, making her paralyzed.

Athletic career

In rowing at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, she finished fourth in the single sculls event. In cross-country skiing at the 2014 Winter Paralympics, Skarstein competed in the 1 km sprint classic, 5 km free, and 15 km free events. In cross-country skiing at the 2018 Winter Paralympics, she competed in the 1.5 km sprint classic, 7.5 km classic, and 15 km free events.

Skarstein won a gold medal in PR1W1x at the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota, ahead of Moran Samuel.[9]

In 2019 she qualified to represent Norway at the 2020 Summer Paralympics held in Tokyo, Japan after winning the gold medal in the PR1 Women's single sculls event at the 2019 World Rowing Championships.[10]

In 2021 she took gold at the 2020 Summer Olympics with a time of 10.56,88.

Birgit holds the world record at 9.50,39 taken in a regatta in Poznan, 2022.

Career

Birgits holds a degree in political sciences from the University of Oslo. She has actively been involved within politics and boards troughout her life and athletic career. She has served in the City Council of Oslo,[11] been a member of the Norwegian Biotechnology Advisory Board[12] and World Economic Forum's Global Shapers, elected as a member of Norwegian Crowm Prince Haakon's SIKT-alumni,[13] and served as a board member of Sparebankstiftelsen DNB, Stiftelsen VI and Sunnaasstiftelsen.

In 2020, Birgit participated in the Norwegian "Dancing With the Stars".[14]

In 2021, Birgit was featured in the children's book "My first biography" by Kristian Grue. She wanted to use the opportunity to create a more diverse offering to kids.[15]

Birgit is also an ambassador for MOT, Stiftelsen VI, and Right To Play.[16][17][18]

Awards

In 2019 Skarstein was awarded Egebergs Ærespris.[19]

References
  1. "Ny verdensrekord til Birgit". www.roing.no. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  2. "Dominant performance sees Birgit Skarstein claim elusive Paralympic gold in Tokyo". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  3. Capar, Robin-Ivan (29 August 2021). "Birgit Skarstein wins Norway's first Paralympics gold in Tokyo: "It was like a dream"". Norway Today. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  4. "Rowing SKARSTEIN Birgit Lovise Roekkum - Tokyo 2020 Paralympics". .. Archived from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  5. "Birgit Skarstein - Rowing, Nordic Skiing | Paralympic Athlete Profile". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  6. "The Fourth Industrial Revolution will give us super powers". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  7. "Nobel Week Dialogue". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  8. "Birgit Skarstein - Rowing, Nordic Skiing | Paralympic Athlete Profile". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  9. Hjellen, Bjørnar (1 October 2017). "Skarstein fosset inn til nytt VM-gull: – En drøm går i oppfyllelse" [Skarstein watered in for new World Cup gold: - A dream come true]. nrk.no (in Norwegian). NTB. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  10. Patrick, O’Kane (1 September 2019). "Polianskyi and Skarstein claim PR1 single sculls titles at World Rowing Championships". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 8 January 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. "Her er Oslo Aps nye bystyregruppe". Arbeiderpartiet (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  12. "Tidlegare Bioteknologiråd". Bioteknologirådet (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  13. "Deltakere 2022 – SIKT-konferansen". sikt.org (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  14. "Birgit Skarstein skal være med i «Skal vi danse»: – Jeg måtte ta noen runder før jeg sa ja". www.aftenposten.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 17 August 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  15. "Laget bok for barn om Birgit Skarstein". Klar Tale (in Norwegian). Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  16. "Birgit Skarstein". MOT Norge (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  17. "Ambassadører". Stiftelsen Vi. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  18. "Birgit Skarstein". www.righttoplay.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  19. Bryhn, Rolf. "Egebergs ærespris". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Retrieved 8 May 2023.
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