Kristin Størmer Steira (born 30 April 1981) is a retired Norwegian cross-country skier. She competed from 2002 to 2015, and won six individual World Cup victories and five individual medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships and Winter Olympic Games. She also won four gold medals with the Norway relay team. In Norwegian media, Steira was dubbed "the eternal fourth" due to her many finishes in fourth place.

Career At the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, she has seven medals with two gold (4 × 5 km relay: 2005, 2011), two silvers (7.5 km + 7.5 km double pursuit: 2009, 30 km: 2007), and three bronzes (7.5 km + 7,5 km double pursuit: 2005, 2007; 4 × 5 km relay: 2007).

Steira finished fourth in three individual events (10 km, 7.5 km + 7.5 km double pursuit, 30 km) at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. She has four individual career victories at various levels from 2002 to 2006. In 2009 Steira extended her interests to track athletics and announced her ambition to compete in the 5000 metres at the 2010 European Athletics Championships after achieving a time of 16.02 in Norway. She never did.

In the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, she came eighth in the 10 km pursuit. More agonisingly, she achieved her fourth fourth-place Olympic finish in the 15 km pursuit, losing out on a medal by 0.1 seconds in a photo finish with Justyna Kowalczyk. This, along with her many fourth places previously, led to Norwegian media jokingly labelling her as "the eternal fourth". On 25 February 2010 Steira became an Olympic champion in the 4 × 5 km relay, racing in the third leg after Vibeke Skofterud and Therese Johaug and before Marit Bjørgen.

She qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, where she became 23rd in 15 kilometre skiathlon. In the last event, 30 km mass start freestyle, she finally won the bronze, her only individual medal of the Winter Olympics.

On 20 April 2015, Steira announced her retirement from professional skiing.

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

Olympic Games 2 medals – (1 gold, 1 bronze)

 Year  Age   10 km  individual   15 km  skiathlon   30 km  mass start   Sprint   4 × 5 km  relay   Team  sprint  2006 24 4 4 4 — 5 — 2010 28 8 4 8 — Gold — 2014 32 — 22 Bronze — — —

World Championships 8 medals – (3 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze)  Year   Age   10 km   15 km   Pursuit   30 km   Sprint   4 × 5 km  relay   Team  sprint  2003 21 — —28 25 — — 2005 23 9 Bronze — — Gold — 2007 25 4 Bronze Silver — Bronze — 2009 27 6 Silver 5 — 4 — 2011 29 10 9 5 — Gold — 2013 31 9 4 9 — Gold —

World Cup Season standings  Season  Age Discipline standingsSki Tour standingsOverallDistanceSprintNordicOpeningTour deSkiWorld CupFinal 2002 20 — 2003 21 42 2004 22 27 20 — 2005 23 12 9 — 2006 24 22 12 — 2007 25 14 12 7 2008 26 16 12 11 15 2009 27 9 4 53 9 4 2010 28 6 49 5 4 2011 29 28 19 — — 8 2012 30 14 9 10 6 2013 31 6 45 8 25 2014 32 19 11 14 9 2015 33 53 33 — — —

Individual podiums 6 victories – (3 , 3 ) 22 podiums – (10 , 12 ) No. Season Date Location Race Level Place1 2004–05 18 December 2004 Ramsau, Austria 15 km Mass Start F World Cup 2nd2 22 January 2005 Pragelato, Italy 7.5 km + 7.5 km Pursuit C/F World Cup 1st3 2005–06 19 March 2006 Sapporo, Japan 7.5 km + 7.5 km Pursuit C/F World Cup 2nd4 2006–07 2 January 2007 Oberstdorf, Germany 5 km + 5 km Pursuit C/F Stage World Cup 1st5 3 January 2007 10 km Individual C Stage World Cup 2nd6 3 January 2007 Cavalese, Italy 10 km Individual F Stage World Cup 2nd7 2007–08 8 December 2007 Davos, Switzerland 10 km Individual C World Cup 3rd8 1 January 2008 Nové Město, Czech Republic 10 km Pursuit F Stage World Cup 2nd9 6 January 2008 Val di Fiemme, Italy 9 km Pursuit F Stage World Cup 2nd10 2008–09 6 December 2008 La Clusaz, France 15 km Mass Start F World Cup 1st11 4 January 2009 Val di Fiemme, Italy 9 km Pursuit F Stage World Cup 2nd12 22 March 2009 Falun, Sweden 10 km Pursuit F Stage World Cup 1st13 2009–10 2 January 2010 Oberhof, Germany 10 km Pursuit C Stage World Cup 3rd14 10 January 2010 Val di Fiemme, Italy 9 km Pursuit F Stage World Cup 1st15 13 March 2010 Oslo, Norway 30 km Mass Start F World Cup 2nd16 20 March 2010 Falun, Sweden 5 km + 5 km Pursuit C/F Stage World Cup 2nd17 21 March 2010 10 km Pursuit F Stage World Cup 2nd18 2010–11 18 December 2010 La Clusaz, France 15 km Mass Start F World Cup 3rd19 2012–13 5 January 2013 Val di Fiemme, Italy 10 km Mass Start C Stage World Cup 2nd20 29 December 2012 – 6 January 2013 Tour de Ski Overall Standings World Cup3rd21 2 February 2013 Sochi, Russia 7.5 km + 7.5 km Skiathlon C/F World Cup 1st22 17 February 2013 Davos, Switzerland 10 km Individual F World Cup 3rd

Team podiums 13 victories – (13 ) 18 podiums – (18 ) No. Season Date Location Race Level Place Teammates1 2002–03 19 January 2003 Nové Město, Czech Republic 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 2nd Moen / Bjørgen / Pedersen2 23 March 2003 Falun, Sweden 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 2nd Moen / Pedersen / Skari3 2003–04 23 November 2003 Beitostølen, Norway 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 1st Skofterud / Pedersen / Bjørgen4 11 January 2004 Otepää, Estonia 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 1st Skofterud / Pedersen / Bjørgen5 22 February 2004 Umeå, Sweden 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 1st Skofterud / Bjørgen / Pedersen6 2006–07 19 November 2006 Gällivare, Sweden 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 1st Skofterud / Pedersen / Bjørgen7 4 February 2007 Davos, Switzerland 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 2nd Jacobsen / Skofterud / Bjørgen8 2007–08 9 December 2007 Davos, Switzerland 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 1st Stemland / Johaug / Skofterud9 24 February 2008 Falun, Sweden 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 1st Tyldum / Jacobsen / Bjørgen10 2008–09 23 November 2008 Gällivare, Sweden 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 1st Bjørgen / Johaug / Kristoffersen11 7 December 2008 La Clusaz, France 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 3rd Stemland / Johaug / Nilsen12 2009–10 22 November 2009 Beitostølen, Norway 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 2nd Skofterud / Johaug / Bjørgen13 7 March 2010 Lahti, Finland 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 1st Kristoffersen / Johaug / Bjørgen14 2010–11 21 November 2010 Gällivare, Sweden 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 1st Skofterud / Johaug / Bjørgen15 19 December 2010 La Clusaz, France 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 1st Skofterud / Johaug / Bjørgen16 2011–12 21 November 2011 Sjusjøen, Norway 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 1st Skofterud / Johaug / Bjørgen17 2012–13 20 January 2013 La Clusaz, France 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 1st Weng / Johaug / Bjørgen18 2013–14 8 December 2013 Lillehammer, Norway 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 1st Weng / Johaug / Bjørgen

Personal life Steira lives in Drøbak, near Oslo, in Norway. She married Canadian skier Devon Kershaw, her boyfriend since December 2012, on 25 July 2015.VG.no (Norwegian)

References

External links

Unofficial Kristin Steira pages (in English)