List of FIS Cross-Country World Cup champions
Women -- Sprint
Table:
Season

Winner

Runner-up

Third

1996–97

Stefania Belmondo

Yelena Välbe

Kateřina Neumannová

1997–98

Bente Martinsen

Larisa Lazutina

Stefania Belmondo

1998–99

Bente Martinsen

Kateřina Neumannová

Kristina Šmigun

1999–00

Bente Martinsen

Anita Moen

Kristina Šmigun (2)

2000–01

Bente Skari 1

Pirjo Manninen

Manuela Henkel

2001–02

Bente Skari 1 (5)

Anita Moen (2)

Kateřina Neumannová (2)

2002–03

Marit Bjørgen

Bente Skari 1

Pirjo Manninen

2003–04

Marit Bjørgen

Gabriella Paruzzi

Anna Dahlberg

2004–05

Marit Bjørgen

Virpi Kuitunen

Anna Dahlberg (2)

2005–06

Marit Bjørgen

Ella Gjømle

Beckie Scott

2006–07

Virpi Kuitunen

Petra Majdič

Natalya Matveyeva

2007–08

Petra Majdič

Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen

Virpi Kuitunen

2008–09

Petra Majdič

Arianna Follis

Pirjo Muranen (2)

2009–10

Justyna Kowalczyk

Marit Bjørgen

Petra Majdič

2010–11

Petra Majdič (3)

Arianna Follis (2)

Kikkan Randall

2011–12

Kikkan Randall

Maiken Caspersen Falla

Marit Bjørgen

2012–13

Kikkan Randall

Justyna Kowalczyk

Ingvild Flugstad Østberg

2013–14

Kikkan Randall (3)

Denise Herrmann

Marit Bjørgen (2)

2014–15

Marit Bjørgen (5)

Ingvild Flugstad Østberg

Maiken Caspersen Falla

2015–16

Maiken Caspersen Falla

Ingvild Flugstad Østberg (2)

Stina Nilsson

From the tabular data as well as the supplementary paragraphs provided at the end.

Respond to the question below: How many times the winner of the 16th official World Cup season in cross-country has been olympic champion ? Output only the correct answer as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Do not introduce information beyond the provided sources.

The 1996-97 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was the 16th official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and ladies . The season began in Kiruna , Sweden , on 23 November 1996 and finished in Holmenkollen , Oslo , Norway , on 15 March 1997 . Bjørn Dæhlie of Norway won the overall men 's cup , and Yelena Välbe of Russia won the women 's . Both skiers won their fifth overall World Cup .
Stefania Belmondo ( born 13 January 1969 ) is an Italian former cross-country skier , two time olympic champion and four time world champion in her career .
Yelena Valeryevna Vyalbe ( Russian : Елена Валерьевна Вяльбе , née Trubitsyna ; born 20 April 1968 ) is a Russian former cross-country skier . She has been president of the Russian Cross-Country Ski Association since 2010 , and manager of the Russian National cross-country team since 2012 . At the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships , Vyalbe won a record-high fourteen gold ( 1989 : 10 km freestyle , 30 km ; 1991 : 10 km , 15 km , 4 ×5 km relay ; 1993 : 15 km , 4 × 5 km relay ; 1995 : 30 km , 4 x 5 km relay ) , and three silver medals ( 1989 : 4 × 5 km relay , 1991 : 30 km , 1995 : 15 km ) , including all five golds at the 1997 championships in Trondheim ( 5 km , 5 km + 10 km combined pursuit , 15 km , 30 km , and 4 × 5 km relay ) . She also won three gold ( all in relays ) and four bronze medals in various Winter Olympic Games as well as the FIS Cross-Country World Cup five times ( 1989 , 1991 , 1992 , 1995 , 1997 ) ( she also finished second in 1990 , 1993 , 1996 , and third in 1994 ) . Vyalbe also won the 5 km ( 1991 ) and 15 km ( 1992 ) competitions at the Holmenkollen ski festival . She received the Holmenkollen medal in 1992 . In 2010 , Vyalbe was elected as President of the Russian Cross-Country Ski Association . - FIS 29 June 2010 article accessed 30 June 2010 . Late in 2012 she got the position of manager for the Russian cross-country team towards the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi . She was also manager for the Russian team during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin . Formerly she was married to Estonian cross-country skier Urmas Välbe . Together they had one child , Franz .
Kateřina Neumannová ( Czech pronunciation : [ ˈkatɛr̝ɪna ˈnojmanovaː ] ( listen ) ) ( born 15 February 1973 ) is a retired Czech cross-country skier . She won an Olympic Gold medal in the 2006 Winter Olympics , in the 30 km freestyle event . She is one of five cross country skiers to ever compete at six Olympics . She was also the first Czech woman to appear in both a Summer and Winter Olympics , having participated in the mountain biking event at the 1996 Summer Olympics . Neumannová retired after the 2006-07 World Cup season .
The 1997-98 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was the 17th official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and ladies . The season began in Beitostølen , Norway , on 22 November 1997 and finished at Holmenkollen , Oslo , Norway , on 14 March 1998 . Thomas Alsgaard of Norway won the overall men 's cup , and Larisa Lazutina of Russia won the women 's .
Bente Skari , née Martinsen , ( born 10 September 1972 ) is a Norwegian former cross-country skier . She is one of the most successful cross-country skiers ever .
Larisa Yevgenyevna Lazutina ( Russian : Лариса Евгеньевна Лазутина ; née Ptitsyna , born 1 June 1965 ) is a Russian former professional cross-country skier . Lazutina was awarded the Holmenkollen medal in 1998 ( shared with Fred Børre Lundberg , Alexey Prokurorov , and Harri Kirvesniemi ) . In the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano , Japan , she won five medals : three gold , one silver and one bronze medal . She was the most successful athlete at the 1998 Winter Olympics . After the Olympics , Boris Yeltsin awarded her the title Hero of the Russian Federation . Lazutina earned several medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships . She won a total of sixteen medals , including eleven gold , three silver and two bronze medals . She was also the first three-time winner of the women 's 30 km event at the Holmenkollen ski festival ( 1995 , 1998 , and 2001 ) . Lazutina was banned from competition for a period of two years due to a positive drug test result during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City .
The 1998-99 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was the 18th official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and ladies . The season began in Muonio , Finland on 28 November 1998 and finished at Holmenkollen , Oslo , Norway on 20 March 1999 . Bjørn Dæhlie of Norway won the overall men 's cup . Bente Martinsen of Norway won the women 's cup on more victories than Stefania Belmondo of Italy after both finished the season achieving 768 points . The 1998-99 season was the last season the results from World Championships counted in the overall World Cup standings .
Kristina Šmigun-Vähi ( born 23 February 1977 in Tartu ) is a former and so far most successful Estonian female cross-country skier . Her parents , Anatoli Šmigun and Rutt Rehemaa were both prominent Nordic skiers . Kristina Šmigun-Vähi was coached by her father .
The 1999-2000 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was the 19th official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and ladies . The season began on 27 November 1999 in Kiruna , Sweden and finished on 19 March 2000 in Bormio , Italy . Johann Mühlegg of Spain won the men 's cup , and Bente Skari of Norway won the women 's . The 1999-2000 World Cup season is the only season where a Middle Distance Cup has been arranged .
Anita Moen ( born 31 August 1967 ) , sometimes credited as Anita Moen-Guidon , is a Norwegian former cross-country skier who competed from 1987 to 2003 . She won five medals at the Winter Olympics with three silvers ( 4 × 5 km relay : 1994 , 1998 , 2002 ) and two bronzes ( 15 km : 1998 , Individual sprint : 2002 ) . Moen also won four 4 × 5 km relay medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships with three silvers ( 1995 , 2001 , 2003 ) and one bronze ( 1993 ) . Her best individual finish at the World Championships was fifth in the 30 km event in 1997 . Moen won eighteen races in her career at all levels from 1992 to 2002 . In 2001 , she won the Tjejvasan . Moen now has a ski academy , where she teaches skiing .
The 2000-01 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was the 20th official World Cup in cross-country skiing . It started in Beitostølen , Norway on 25 November 2000 and finished in Kuopio , Finland on 25 March 2001 . Per Elofsson of Sweden won the overall men 's cup , and Yuliya Chepalova of Russia won the women 's .
Bente Skari , née Martinsen , ( born 10 September 1972 ) is a Norwegian former cross-country skier . She is one of the most successful cross-country skiers ever .
Pirjo Muranen ( née Manninen , born March 8 , 1981 in Rovaniemi ) is a retired Finnish cross-country skier . She won a bronze medal in the 4 × 5 km relay at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver . Muranen won five medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships with three golds ( Individual sprint : 2001 , 4 × 5 km relay : 2007 , 2009 ) , a silver ( Team sprint : 2005 , with Riitta-Liisa Lassila ) , and a bronze ( Individual sprint : 2009 ) . She married on 30 June 2007 ; previously known by her maiden name of Pirjo Manninen . Muranen also has sixteen additional victories up to 15 km from 2000 to 2002 . She is the younger sister of Nordic combined skier Hannu . At the 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Sapporo , they became the first brother-sister combination to win gold medals at the same championships . Muranen retired from the sport in April 2011 . She has then worked as a cross-country skiing pundit and studio commentator for Finland 's national public-broadcasting company Yle .
Manuela Henkel ( born December 4 , 1974 in Neuhaus am Rennweg , Bezirk Suhl ) is a German cross-country skier who has competed since 1994 . She won a gold medal in the 4 × 5 km relay at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City . Her best individual finish was 12th in the Individual sprint at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin . She is the older sister of Andrea Henkel , a biathlete . Henkel also won a gold in the 4 × 5 km relay at the 2003 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships and earned her best individual finish of 9th in the 15 km event at those same games . She has won three individual races in her career , all under 5 km in 1995 , 2000 , and 2005 . Henkel 's local ski club is the WSV Oberhof .
The 2001-02 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was the 21st official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and ladies . The season began in Kuopio , Finland on 24 November 2001 and finished in Lillehammer , Norway on 23 March 2002 . Per Elofsson of Sweden won the overall men 's cup , and Bente Skari of Norway won the women 's .
The 2002-03 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was the 22nd official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and ladies . The season began in Düsseldorf , Germany , on 26 October on 2002 and was concluded in Falun , Sweden , on 23 March 2003 . Mathias Fredriksson of Sweden won the overall men 's cup , and Bente Skari of Norway won the women 's .
Marit Bjørgen ( born 21 March 1980 ) is a retired Norwegian cross-country skier who is the most decorated athlete , male or female , in Winter Olympics history with 15 medals . She is ranked first in the all-time Cross-Country World Cup rankings with 114 individual victories . Bjørgen is also the most successful sprinter in Cross-Country World Cup history , with 29 victories . She headed the medal table at the 2010 Winter Olympics by winning five medals , including three gold . A five-time Olympian , her five Olympic medals at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games brought her total number of medals up to a record 15 , the most by any athlete ( female or male ) in Winter Olympics history . On 6 April 2018 , she announced her retirement from cross-country skiing following the 2017-18 season .
The 2003-04 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was the 23rd official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and ladies . The season began in Düsseldorf , Germany on 25 October 2003 and finished in Pragelato , Italy on 14 March 2004 . Rene Sommerfeldt of Germany won the overall men 's cup , and Gabriella Paruzzi of Italy won the women 's .
Gabriella Paruzzi ( born 21 June 1969 in Udine ) is a retired Italian cross-country skier who competed from 1991 to 2006 and formerly skied with the G.S . Forestale . She skied in World Cup events , and won the Women 's Overall World Cup in 2004 .
Anna Olsson ( born 1 May 1976 as Anna Dahlberg in Kramfors , Ångermanland ) is a Swedish cross-country skier who competed from 1996 to 2010 . Competing in three Winter Olympics , she won a gold medal in the team sprint ( with Lina Andersson ) at Turin in 2006 . Olsson also won a silver medal in the team sprint event at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec . She also has twenty individual victories at all levels at various distances since 2000 . She married fellow skier Johan Olsson in 2008 .
The 2004-05 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was the 24th official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and ladies . The season began in Düsseldorf , Germany on 23 October 2004 and was concluded in Falun , Sweden on 20 March 2005 . The overall winners were Marit Bjørgen and Axel Teichmann .
Virpi Katriina Sarasvuo ( née Kuitunen , born 20 May 1976 ) is a Finnish former cross-country skier who competed from 1995 to 2010 . She won a bronze medal in the team sprint event ( with Aino-Kaisa Saarinen ) at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and earned her best individual finish of fifth in the individual sprint event in those same games . Four years later in Vancouver , Kuitunen won another bronze , this time in the 4 × 5 km relay .
The 2005-06 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was the 25th official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and ladies . The season began in Düsseldorf on 22 October 2005 and was concluded in Sapporo on 19 March 2006 .
Ella Gjømle Berg ( born May 29 , 1979 ) is a cross-country skier from Stathelle , Bamble , Norway . She competes for Lyn Ski Club , Oslo .
Rebecca Beckie Scott , OC AOE MSM ( born August 1 , 1974 ) is a Canadian former cross-country skier . She is Chair of the World Anti-Doping Agency ( WADA ) Athlete Committee , and served as an International Olympic Committee member by virtue of being elected to the IOC Athlete 's Commission along with Saku Koivu between 2006 and 2014 .
The 2006-07 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was a multi race tournament over a season for cross-country skiers . It was the 26th official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and ladies . The season began on 28 October 2006 with 800m sprint races for women in Düsseldorf which was eventually won by Marit Bjørgen of Norway . This season , Tour de Ski was a part of the World Cup for the first time . The World Cup is organised by the FIS who also run world cups and championships in ski jumping , snowboarding and alpine skiing amongst others .
Petra Majdič ( born 22 December 1979 in Ljubljana ) is a Slovenian former cross-country skier . Her best results came in classic style races . She won twenty-four World Cup races , twenty in sprint races , but she also won a marathon ( 30 km race ) in Trondheim in 2009 . She is the first Slovenian cross-country skier to win the World Cup race , the first to get a medal at the World Championships and the first to get an Olympic medal . With 20 wins , Majdič is the second-most successful sprinter in FIS Cross-Country World Cup history and with 24 wins in total she 's the fourth-most successful World Cup competitor of all time .
Natalya Konstantinovna Matveyeva ( Russian : Ната́лья Константи́новна Матве́ева ; born 23 May 1986 ) is a Russian cross country skier who has been competing since 2004 . Matveyeva skis for Dynamo Moscow . She has a total of four victories since 2004 , including three in the 2006-2007 season . All four of her victories have been in the sprint events .
The 2007-08 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was a multi-race tournament over the season for cross-country skiers . It was the 27th official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and ladies . The season began on 27 October 2007 with 800m sprint races for women in Düsseldorf , won by Natalia Matveeva of Russia , who took her first World Cup victory . Finnish skier Virpi Kuitunen won the overall women 's cup for the 2nd consecutive season and Lukáš Bauer of Czech Republic won the overall men 's cup . The World Cup is organised by the FIS who also run world cups and championships in ski jumping , snowboarding and alpine skiing amongst others .
Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen ( born 22 January 1987 ) is a Norwegian cross-country skier . She skis with the IL Heming club in Oslo , near Holmenkollen . Her greatest achievement is winning the gold medal in sprint at the 2007 World Championships .
The 2008-09 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was a multi-race tournament over the season for cross-country skiers . It was the 28th official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and ladies . The season began on 22 November 2008 with 15 km freestyle races for women in Gällivare , won by Charlotte Kalla of Sweden . The World Cup is organised by the FIS who also run world cups and championships in ski jumping , snowboarding and alpine skiing amongst others .
Arianna Fernanda Follis ( born November 11 , 1977 in Ivrea , Piedmont ) is an Italian cross-country skier who started competing in 1995 . Competing in two Winter Olympics , she earned a bronze medal in the 4 × 5 km relay at Turin in 2006 . Follis earned five medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships with a gold ( Individual sprint : 2009 ) , one silver ( Individual sprint : 2011 ) and three bronzes ( 10 km : 2007 , Team sprint : 2009 , 4 × 5 km relay : 2005 ) . She has six individual victories at various levels up to 10 km since 1998 . She retired from cross-country skiing after the 2010-2011 season .
Pirjo Muranen ( née Manninen , born March 8 , 1981 in Rovaniemi ) is a retired Finnish cross-country skier . She won a bronze medal in the 4 × 5 km relay at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver . Muranen won five medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships with three golds ( Individual sprint : 2001 , 4 × 5 km relay : 2007 , 2009 ) , a silver ( Team sprint : 2005 , with Riitta-Liisa Lassila ) , and a bronze ( Individual sprint : 2009 ) . She married on 30 June 2007 ; previously known by her maiden name of Pirjo Manninen . Muranen also has sixteen additional victories up to 15 km from 2000 to 2002 . She is the younger sister of Nordic combined skier Hannu . At the 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Sapporo , they became the first brother-sister combination to win gold medals at the same championships . Muranen retired from the sport in April 2011 . She has then worked as a cross-country skiing pundit and studio commentator for Finland 's national public-broadcasting company Yle .
The 2009-10 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was a multi-race tournament over the season for cross-country skiers . It was the 29th official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and ladies . The season started 21 November 2009 in Beitostølen , Norway and ended on 21 March 2010 in Falun , Sweden . The World Cup was organised by the FIS who also run world cups and championships in ski jumping , snowboarding and alpine skiing amongst others . A new website was created by the FIS for Cross-country skiing fan that was released the week of 16 November 2009 .
Justyna Maria Kowalczyk ( born 19 January 1983 ) is a Polish cross-country skier who has been competing since 2000 . Kowalczyk is a double Olympic Champion and a double World Champion . She is also the only skier to win the Tour de Ski four times in a row and one of two female skiers , who won the FIS Cross-Country World Cup three times in a row ( the other one being Finn Marjo Matikainen ) . Kowalczyk holds the all-time record for the most wins in Tour de Ski with 14 competitions won and 29 podiums in total . She also won the Vasaloppet women 's edition in 2015 . She is a member of cross country ski department of AZS AWF Katowice and is coached by Aleksander Wierietielny .
The 2010-11 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was a multi-race tournament over the season for cross-country skiers . It was the 30th official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and ladies . The season began on 20 November 2010 in Gällivare , Sweden and ended on 20 March 2011 in Falun , Sweden . The World Cup was organised by the FIS who also run world cups and championships in ski jumping , snowboarding and alpine skiing amongst others .
Kikkan Randall ( born December 31 , 1982 ) is an American , Olympic champion cross-country skier . She has won 17 U.S. National titles , made 29 podiums on the World Cup , made five trips to the Winter Olympic Games and had the highest finish by an individual American woman at the World Championships , second in the Sprint in Liberec in 2009 . She was the first American female cross-country skier to take a top ten finish in World Cup competition , to win a World Cup race and to win a World Cup discipline title . She won the silver medal in the individual sprint at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec , becoming the first American woman to win a medal in cross country skiing at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships , and in 2013 teamed up with Jessica Diggins to win the first ever American FIS Nordic World Ski Championships gold medal in the team sprint . She and Diggins won the United States ' first ever cross-country skiing gold medal at the Winter Olympics in women 's team sprint at Pyeongchang in 2018 .
2011-12 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was a multi-race tournament over the season for cross-country skiers . It was the 31st official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and ladies . The season began on 19 November 2011 and ended on 18 March 2012 . This season 's biggest event was the Tour de Ski , as there were no World Championships or Olympic Games .
Maiken Caspersen Falla ( born 13 August 1990 ) is a Norwegian cross-country skier who specializes in sprint and short distance races . She is the 2014 Olympic champion in the individual sprint and three-time Olympic medalist . She became the individual sprint World champion at the 2017 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships and successfully defended her World title in 2019 . Winner of three consecutive Sprint World Cup crystal globes , Falla has won total of five gold and four bronze medals at the World Championships in her career . Her highest finish in the overall World Cup standings is sixth-place which she achieved in 2014-15 and 2015-16 World Cup seasons . With 20 World Cup sprint victories , Falla is the second-most successful World Cup sprinter of all-time , only behind Marit Bjørgen . She also shares the record of most sprint victories in a single season with Petra Majdič at eight victories .
2012-13 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was a multi-race tournament over the season for cross-country skiers . It was the 32nd official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and ladies . The season started on 24 November 2012 in Gällivare , Sweden and ended on 24 March 2013 in Falun , Sweden . This season 's biggest event was the Tour de Ski and the 2013 World Championships .
Ingvild Flugstad Østberg ( born 9 November 1990 ) is a Norwegian cross-country skier who has competed since 2008 .
2013-14 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was a multi-race tournament over the season for cross-country skiers . This was the 33rd official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and ladies . The season began on 29 November 2013 in Kuusamo , Finland and ended on 16 March 2014 in Falun , Sweden . This season 's biggest event was 2014 Winter Olympics .
Denise Herrmann ( born 20 December 1988 ) is a German cross-country skier and biathlete . She has competed in FIS Cross-Country World Cup since 2009 . Herrmann has won several medals at the World Cup events . In April 2016 she announced that she would switch to competing in biathlon for the following season although in an interview in November of that year she did not rule out competing in cross-country skiing in future .
The 2014-15 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was the 34th official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and ladies . The season started on 29 November 2014 in Ruka , Finland and ended on 15 March 2015 in Oslo , Norway . The season 's biggest event is FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2015 .
The 2015-16 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was the 35th official World Cup season in cross-country skiing for men and ladies . The season started on 27 November 2015 in Kuusamo , Finland , and ended on 12 March 2016 in Canmore , Alberta , Canada .
Stina Nilsson ( born 24 June 1993 ) is a Swedish cross-country skier . She is a five-time Olympic medalist and the 2018 Olympic champion in the individual sprint .