Inger AUFLES

Born as Inger Døving in Valldal near Ålesund, she moved to Mosjøen in the northern part of Norway in 1961, married, and began to train seriously for cross-country skiing with the club Kjærstad IL. She had her breakthrough in 1966, when she was selected for the World Championships, where she was a member of the relay team which surprised everybody with a silver medal. Two years later she was Norwegian champion in the 10 km, and at the 1968 Grenoble Olympics she won a bronze medal at that distance. A week later Aufles skied the first leg for Norway in the relay, giving her team a decisive lead, and her teammates Babben Enger-Damon and Berit Mørdre-Lammedal were able to maintain it and secure the first ever Olympic gold medal for Norwegian ladies in cross-country skiing. In 1969 she was Norwegian champion for the second time, that time over 5 km. Later in the season she placed second at 10 km in Svenska Skidspelen in Falun. She won her third Olympic medal at the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics as a member of the bronze medal winning relay team. Aufles ended her skiing career after the 1972 season, aged 30.