| Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi | |
| Birth Name: | Marja-Liisa Hämäläinen |
| Birth Date: | 10 September 1955 |
| Birth Place: | Simpele, South Karelia, Finland |
| Club: | Simpeleen Urheilijat |
| Seasons: | 10 – (1982–1985, 1988–1989, 1991–1994) |
| Wins: | 11 |
| Totalpodiums: | 27 |
| Teamwins: | 1 |
| Teampodiums: | 8 |
| Individual Starts: | 64 |
| Team Starts: | 15 |
| Wcoveralls: | 2 – (1983, 1984) |
| Show-Medals: | no |
Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi (née Hämäläinen; born 10 September 1955) is a Finnish former cross-country skier.
She was the big figure at the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, winning all three individual cross-country skiing events (5, 10 and 20 km), and a bronze medal for Finland in the relay. In the process, she became the most successful athlete at the 1984 Winter Olympics. At the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, she won another relay bronze medal, and at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, she won two more bronze medals in the 5 and 30 km.
At the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, Kirvesniemi won three golds in the 10 km (1989) and 4 × 5 km relay (1978, 1989), and five silvers in the 5 km (1985, 1991), 10 km (1985) and 15 km (1989, 1993). She also won the 20 km double pursuit at the 1989 Holmenkollen ski festival.
Kirvesniemi won the Holmenkollen medal in 1989. Her husband, Harri, would be awarded the Holmenkollen medal in 1998. They were the third husband-and-wife pair that won this prestigious honor. They are the only married couple to have both competed at six Olympics, and are among the only eight Finns to have done so - the others being Janne Ahonen (ski jumping), Raimo Helminen (ice hockey), Teemu Selänne (ice hockey), Kyra Kyrklund (dressage), Juha Hirvi (shooting), and Hannu Manninen (nordic combined).
All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[1]
| Year | Age | 5 km | 10 km | 15 km | Pursuit | 20 km | 30 km | 4 × 5 km relay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | ||||||||
| 24 | ||||||||
| 28 | ||||||||
| 32 | 11 | |||||||
| 36 | — | 4 | ||||||
| 38 | Bronze | |||||||
| Year | Age | 5 km | 10 km classical | 10 km freestyle | 15 km | Pursuit | 20 km | 30 km | 4 × 5 km relay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | — | 23 | 16 | Gold | |||||
| 26 | 17 | 11 | 17 | 4 | |||||
| 29 | Silver | Silver | 12 | 4 | |||||
| 33 | Gold | — | Silver | 8 | Gold | ||||
| 35 | Silver | — | 12 | — | 4 | ||||
| 37 | 14 | Silver | — | — | 4 | ||||
| Season | |
| Discipline | |
| 1983 | Overall |
| 1984 | Overall |
| Season | Age | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 18 | ||
| 27 | |||
| 28 | |||
| 29 | 10 | ||
| 32 | |||
| 33 | 6 | ||
| 35 | 17 | ||
| 36 | 10 | ||
| 37 | 8 | ||
| 38 | 10 |
| No. | Season | Date | Location | Race | Level | Place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1982–83 | 12 December 1982 |  Val di Sole, Italy | 5 km Individual | World Cup | 2nd | |
| 2 | 25 February 1983 |  Falun, Sweden | 10 km Individual | World Cup | 2nd | ||
| 3 | 5 March 1983 |  Lahti, Finland | 5 km Individual | World Cup | 1st | ||
| 4 | 12 March 1983 |  Oslo, Norway | 20 km Individual | World Cup | 2nd | ||
| 5 | 20 March 1983 |  Anchorage, United States | 10 km Individual | World Cup | 1st | ||
| 6 | 27 March 1983 |  Labrador City, Canada | 10 km Individual | World Cup | 1st | ||
| 7 | 1983–84 | 17 December 1983 |  Autrans, France | 10 km Individual | World Cup | 1st | |
| 8 | 9 February 1984 | Sarajevo, Yugoslavia | 10 km Individual | Olympic Games | 1st | ||
| 9 | 12 February 1984 | 5 km Individual | Olympic Games | 1st | |||
| 10 | 18 February 1984 | 20 km Individual | Olympic Games | 1st | |||
| 11 | 25 February 1984 | Falun, Sweden | 10 km Individual | World Cup | 3rd | ||
| 12 | 8 March 1984 | Oslo, Norway | 20 km Individual | World Cup | 2nd | ||
| 13 | 1984–85 | 19 February 1985 |  Seefeld, Austria | 10 km Individual | World Championships | 2nd | |
| 14 | 21 February 1985 | 5 km Individual | World Championships | 2nd | |||
| 15 | 1987–88 | 19 December 1987 | Reit im Winkl, West Germany | 5 km Individual F | World Cup | 1st | |
| 16 | 17 March 1988 | Oslo, Norway | 30 km Individual C | World Cup | 2nd | ||
| 17 | 1988–89 | 17 February 1989 | Lahti, Finland | 10 km Individual C | World Championships | 1st | |
| 18 | 21 February 1989 | 15 km Individual C | World Championships | 2nd | |||
| 19 | 4 March 1989 | Oslo, Norway | 20 km Individual C | World Cup | 1st | ||
| 20 | 1990–91 | 12 February 1991 | Val di Fiemme, Italy | 5 km Individual C | World Championships | 2nd | |
| 21 | 1991–92 | 4 January 1992 | < | --Correct Russian flag for the period between 12 August 1991 and 11 December 1993, don't replace it!--> Kavgolovo, Russia | 15 km Individual C | World Cup | 3rd |
| 22 | 7 March 1992 | Funäsdalen, Sweden | 5 km Individual C | World Cup | 1st | ||
| 23 | 1992–93 | 9 January 1993 | Ulrichen, Switzerland | 10 km Individual C | World Cup | 2nd | |
| 24 | 19 February 1993 | Falun, Sweden | 15 km Individual C | World Championships | 2nd | ||
| 25 | 1993–94 | 8 January 1994 |  Kavgolovo, Russia | 10 km Individual C | World Cup | 2nd | |
| 26 | 15 February 1994 | Lillehammer, Norway | 5 km Individual C | Olympic Games | 3rd | ||
| 27 | 24 February 1994 | 30 km Individual C | Olympic Games | 3rd |
| No. | Season | Date | Location | Race | Level | Place | Teammates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1983–84 | 15 February 1984 | Sarajevo, Yugoslavia | 4 × 5 km Relay | Olympic Games | 3rd | Määttä / Hyytiäinen / Matikainen |
| 2 | 26 February 1984 | Falun, Sweden | 4 × 5 km Relay | World Cup | 2nd | ||
| 3 | 1984–85 | 10 March 1985 | Falun, Sweden | 4 × 5 km Relay | World Cup | 3rd | Määttä / Hyytiäinen / Matikainen |
| 4 | 1987–88 | 21 February 1988 | Calgary, Canada | 4 × 5 km Relay F | Olympic Games | 3rd | Määttä / Matikainen / Savolainen |
| 5 | 13 March 1988 | Falun, Sweden | 4 × 5 km Relay C | World Cup | 2nd | Matikainen / Hyytiäinen / Määttä | |
| 6 | 1988–89 | 23 February 1989 | Lahti, Finland | 4 × 5 km Relay C/F | World Championships | 1st | Määttä / Savolainen / Matikainen |
| 7 | 1990–91 | 10 March 1991 | Falun, Sweden | 4 × 5 km Relay C | World Cup | 3rd | Lukkarinen / Lahtinen / Savolainen |
| 8 | 1991–92 | 8 March 1992 | Funäsdalen, Sweden | 4 × 5 km Relay C | World Cup | 3rd | Riikola / Lukkarinen / Savolainen |
| 9 | 1993–94 | 4 March 1994 | Lahti, Finland | 4 × 5 km Relay C | World Cup | 3rd | Lukkarinen / Pyykkönen / Lahtinen |