Vibeke Skofterud was a Norwegian professional cross-country skier, who represented her country at multiple world cup tournaments and Olympic games over a period of 10 years.
As a part of Norway’s team, she won gold in the 4x5 km relay at Vancouver in 2010.
In 2001, where she secured bronze at the world cup. Soon after, in the 2002 Winter Olympics, she scored eighth place, her individual best at any Olympic game.
Unfortunately, many of Skofterud’s professional pursuits were scuppered due to her struggling with an eating disorder. In a 2015 interview with Faster Skier, she explained how the pressure put on her to perform well in competitions manifested into illness.
In 2008, Skofterud came out as bi in the Norwegian magazine Se og Hør and introduced her then-partner Line Nymo Jarnes to the world. Of discovering her bisexuality in adulthood, Skofterud said,
I've gone through this many times with myself, and these are things that have taken time to figure out. I probably wasn't always honest about my own feelings. After all, being honest with yourself is not done overnight.
In 2018 it is believed she got into difficulties whilst jet skiing and died of her injuries. She was only 38 years old. Of her death, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Ski Federation said "It's an unthinkable tragedy that our life-loving Vibeke is gone. Our thoughts go to Vibeke's family."