Beckie Scott

Beckie Scott (born August 1, 1974 in Vegreville, Alberta) is a retired Canadian cross-country skiing athlete and as of February 23, 2006, an International Olympic Committee member by virtue of being elected to the IOC Athlete's Commission along with Saku Koivu.

Career

Scott was born in Vegreville, Alberta, but grew up in Vermilion, Alberta. She began cross-country skiing at the age of five. She entered her first competition at age seven, and attended the Junior National Championships in 1988. She went on to win seventeen World Cup medals in sprint, individual, and relay cross-country skiing events.

Scott is a three-time Olympian, participating at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. Her best placed finish in Nagano was 45th, but Scott won a gold medal in cross-country skiing at the Salt Lake City games. She originally finished third in the five-kilometre pursuit, but she was upgraded to the gold medal when winner Olga Danilova and runner-up Larissa Lazutina were eventually disqualified for using darbepoetin, a performance-enhancing drug. Scott was awarded a silver medal before receiving her gold medal in June of 2004, almost 2 and a half years after the olympics ended. She became the first Canadian and first North American woman to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing.

Scott has been honoured with a variety of awards in Canada, and has been inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.

She currently resides in Bend, Oregon and is a student of English through distance programs from Athabasca University.

She is also known for her work on behalf of UNICEF and Right to Play.

On March 29, 2005, Scott agreed to join the World Anti-Doping Agency's athlete committee. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/story/turin2006/national/2005/03/29/Sports/scott050329.html] ]

On February 23, 2006, Scott was elected as an athlete member of the International Olympic Committee along with Finnish ice hockey player Saku Koivu. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=oly&id=2342063 ESPN - Beckie Scott, Saku Koivu elected to IOC - Olympics ] ] Scott retired on April 12, 2006, as the most decorated Canadian cross-country skier.

On May 17, 2006 The Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games announced the appointment of Scott to its board of directors. [ [http://www.cccski.com/main.asp?cmd=doc&ID=3969&lan=0 Cross Country Canada - Vancouver 2010 welcomes Olympian Beckie Scott to the Board of Directors ] ]

On April 5, 2007 Scott announced that she and her husband Justin Wadsworth (coach for the US cross country ski team) are expecting their first child in August.

Notable placings

* 1998 Olympic World Games (Nagano): 45th combined pursuit
* 2002 Olympic World Games (Salt Lake City): 1st in the Combined Pursuit
* 2003 World Championships (Val di Femme, Italy): 4th in Individual Sprint
* 2005 World Cup (Vernon, BC, Canada): 2nd in the Pursuit without a Break (first World Cup medal finish)
* 2005 World Cup (Vernon, BC, Canada): 1st in the Sprints (first World Cup first-place finish)
* 2005 World Cup (Canmore, AB, Canada): 2nd in the 10km Interval Start
* 2005 World Cup (Canmore, AB, Canada): 1st in the 15km Mass Start
* 2005 World Cup (Canmore, AB, Canada): 2nd Team Sprint with Sara Renner
* 2005 World Championships (Obertsdorf, Germany): 4th in Double Pursuit
* 2006 Olympic Winter Games (Turin): 2nd in the Team Sprint with Sara Renner, 4th Individual Sprint.
* 2006 World Cup Points (Season): 2nd overall

References

External links

* [http://www.canoe.ca/2002GamesTeamCanadaBiosN2Z/scott.html Canoe Bio]
*FIS|S=CC|ID=55256
* [http://www.olympic.ca/EN/organization/news/2004/0625_bio.shtml Canadian Olympic Committee Bio]
* [http://www.cccski.com/ Cross Country Canada] – Canada's Cross Country Ski Program
* [http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/athletes/athletesnamebio.shtml?beckie_scott.html CBC Athlete Bio]