Birth name Maya Bieri Website www.maya-pedersen.ch | Name Maya Pedersen-Bieri Role Skeleton racer | |
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Born 27 November 1972 (age 51) ( 1972-11-27 ) Spiez, Switzerland Olympic medals Skeleton at the 2006 Winter Olympics – Women's Skeleton | ||
Maya Pedersen-Bieri (born 27 November 1972 in Spiez) is a Swiss skeleton racer who has competed since 1995. She won the gold medal in the women's skeleton event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
She is one of the most successful skeleton athletes in the world. Pedersen-Bieri won the FIBT World Championships in the women's skeleton event in 2001 and 2005, and earned two medals at the 2007 FIBT World Championships in St. Moritz with a silver in the women's skeleton and a bronze in the mixed bobsleigh-skeleton team event. Pedersen-Bieri also won a silver in the mixed team event at the 2009 championships.
Pedersen-Bieri was also European champion in 2006 (in St. Moritz). She won the women's overall Skeleton World Cup in 1997-8.
Pedersen-Bieri also finished fifth in the women's skeleton event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Born in Spiez, Switzerland, Pedersen-Bieri is married to Snorre Pedersen (who is her trainer), has two children, one of whom is a daughter, and lives in Øyer near Lillehammer, Norway. She returned to competition for the 2008-09 Skeleton World Cup after sitting out the 2007-08 season to maternity leave. She finished third in her return at the 2008-09 event in Altenberg, Germany on December 5, 2008.
Pedersen-Bieri also qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics, finishing ninth.