Sara Renner

A professional athlete since the age of 18, Sara Renner’s parents operated a ski lodge in Alberta that was the perfect setting for her to hone her talents. After a disappointing 1998 Winter Olympics, which led to the funding for the Canadian Women’s National Cross-Country Skiing Team to be cut, she became the first Canadian and female North American to win a World Championship medal in the sport with bronze in the individual sprint in 2005. In the meantime she had won silver at the 2001 World Cup in the relay event and improved her standings at the 2002 Winter Olympics. From 2005-2006 she took two more bronze medals at World Cup events, as well as one silver, but her most memorable story came from the 2006 Winter Olympics.

In the Team Sprint event she won silver after Norwegian coach Bjørnar Håkensmoen gave her a ski pole to replace one that had been accidentally broken by one of the other competitors. Norway’s team ended up fourth in the event, ostensibly losing their chance at a medal because of this act of sportsmanship, and both Håkensmoen, the Norwegian embassy, and the Norwegian Olympic Committee were showered with gifts from Canadians to show their gratitude.

Interested in sport causes, Renner posed nude for a “Nordic Nudes” calendar to help raise money for the Canadian Women’s Nordic Ski Team in 2001. After failing to medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics, she announced her retirement at the conclusion of the 30 km event. She is married to Olympic Alpine Skier Thomas Grandi.