Over the next two weeks at the Winter Games more athletes will be making their mark in Olympic history, some have already made an impact this opening weekend. While getting into the Olympic spirit, the editors at The Active Times have assembled a list of the 50 Greatest Winter Olympians.
With the help of an expert panel made up of:
- Brian Pinelli— Journalist, in Sochi covering his 5th Olympic Games
- PJ Kwong— Olympic commentator, 25+ years coaching experience, a figure skating expert
- Tom Ecker— Author, public speaker and Olympic historian
- Bill Mallon— Former President and Co-Founder of the International Society of Olympic Historians
- Tony Bijkerk— Secretary-General of the International Society of Olympic Historians
The Active Times looked at everything that signifies the Olympic spirit, not just the number of medals won but their significance and impact on the Games and public perception. Each panelist assembled their own list before they were compared and reduced to the Top 50.
Although heavily populated by the great European winter powerhouse countries, a couple of Canadian Ladies Figure Skaters; Barbara Ann Scott & Joannie Rochette made the list.
The Top 10 are:
1. Bjørn Dæhlie, Norway – Cross-country Skiing
2. Sonja Henie, Norway – Figure Skating
3. Ole Einar Bjørndalen, Norway – Biathlon
4. Stefania Belmondo, Italy – Cross-country Skiing
5. Raisa Smetanina, Soviet Union / EUN: Unified Team – Cross-country Skiing
6. Claudia Pechstein, Germany – Speed Skating
7. Eric Heiden, USA – Speed Skating
8. Ricco Gross, Germany – Biathlon
9. Kjetil André Aamodt, Norway – Alpine Skiing
10. Apollo Anton Ohno, USA – Speed skating
To see the entire Top 50, visit The Active Times