Birth name Yelena Trubitsyna Nationality Russian | Name Yelena Valbe Role Olympic athlete | |
 | ||
Native name Elena Valer\'evna Vyal\'be Born April 20, 1968 (age 56) ( 1968-04-20 ) Magadan, Russian SFSR Sport Women\'s cross-country skiing Olympic medals Cross Country Skiing at the 1992 Winter Olympics -Women\'s 10km pursuit Similar People Lyubov Yegorova, Stefania Belmondo, Urmas Valbe, Marjut Rolig | ||
Yelena Valerjevna Välbe, née Trubitsyna (Russian: Елена Валерьевна Вяльбе (Трубицына), Estonian: Jelena Välbe, born 20 April 1968 in Magadan, Russian SFSR) 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 cross-country team since 2012.
At the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, Välbe won a record-high fourteen gold (1989: 10 km freestyle, 30 km; 1991: 10 km, 15 km, 4x5 km; 1993: 15 km, 4x5 km; 1995: 30 km, 4x5 km relay), and three silver medals (1989: 4x5 km, 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 4x5 km). 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). Välbe also won the 5 km (1991) and 15 km (1992) competitions at the Holmenkollen ski festival. She received the Holmenkollen medal in 1992.
Together with Bjørn Dæhlie of Norway, she holds second place for the number of podiums (81) in FIS Cross-Country World Cup events, behind Marit Bjørgen (105). She is placed third for the number of wins (45), behind Marit Bjørgen (75) and Bjørn Dæhlie (46).
In 2010, Välbe 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.