Norwegian Olympian, slalom world champion

Inger Bjørnbakken, the only female Norwegian world champion in Alpine skiing, died in a fire on February 13, at age 87.

Born in Baerum, Norway, Bjørnbakken was the top female Norwegian racer in the late 1950s. She won seven national championships, then tied for sixth place (with Astrid Sandvik) in the 1956 Olympic slalom. She took slalom gold the 1958 World Championships, and was awarded the Holmenkollen Medal for her gold medal – one of only 11 Alpine skiers so honored since 1895.