Hall of Famer
Sharon Firth
Affiliated Discipline(s):
Cross-country
Hometown:
Inuvik, N.W.T.
Active Career Period:
1968 - 1985
Induction CSHF:
1990
Induction Category:
Cross-country
Sharon Firth, together with her twin sister, Shirley, were the product of a pioneering program to introduce skiing to Canada’s original peoples (First Nations and Inuit). Her career was an outstanding testimony to the dedication displayed by her in achieving a level of excellence very rarely attained by any athlete in this country.
Both Sharon and her sister were members of Canada’s national cross-country team for an unprecedented 17-consecutive years competing on the World Cup circuit. Between them, they won 79 medals at a variety of racing distances at the national championships and competed in four winter Olympic Games, in 1972 at Sapporo, Japan, in 1976 at Innsbruck, Austria, in 1980 at Lake Placid, New York, USA, and in 1984 at Sarajevo, Jugoslavia.
She and her sister were the subjects of a CBC Documentary entitled The Olympians: The Firth Sisters. Sharon Firth has been awarded the John Semmelink Memorial Award from the Canadian Ski Association in 1972, the Commissioner’s Award from the Government of the Northwest Territories in1981, the Order of Canada in1987, was inducted into the Canadian Ski Museum and Skiing Hall of Fame in 1990, and she received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002. When her competitive days ended, she settled in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, where she has served as a Youth Program Advisor for the Government of the Northwest Territories.
Olympic Highlights
| Games | Discipline (Sport) / Event | Pos | |
| 1972 Winter Olympics Sapporo | Cross Country Skiing (Skiing) | ||
| 5 kilometres, Women (Olympic) | 26 | ||
| 10 kilometres, Women (Olympic) | 24 | ||
| 3 × 5 kilometres Relay, Women (Olympic) | 10 | ||
| 1976 Winter Olympics Innsbruck | Cross Country Skiing (Skiing) | ||
| 5 kilometres, Women (Olympic) | 29 | ||
| 10 kilometres, Women (Olympic) | 28 | ||
| 4 × 5 kilometres Relay, Women (Olympic) | 7 | ||
| 1980 Winter Olympics Lake Placid | Cross Country Skiing (Skiing) | ||
| 5 kilometres, Women (Olympic) | 35 | ||
| 1984 Winter Olympics Sarajevo | Cross Country Skiing (Skiing) | ||
| 5 kilometres, Women (Olympic) | 29 | ||
| 10 kilometres, Women (Olympic) | 29 | ||
| 20 kilometres, Women (Olympic) | 21 |
Please Note: The ski information gathered here is compiled from a number of sources; it may not be inclusive of all accomplishments.
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Sharon Firth at 1969 World Ski Championships. CSHFM Collection.
Canadian Olympic cross country team at 1972 Olympic Winter Games in Sapporo, JPN [L to R]: Helen Sander, Roseanne Allen, Sharon Firth, Shirley Firth, Bjorger Pettersen (coach), Roger Allen, Jarl Omholt-Jensen, Malcolm Hunter, Fred Kelly. CSHFM Collection.
Shirley and Sharon Firth c. 1969. Photo Guy Savard.
Sharon and Shirley Firth. Canadian Ski Association.
Sharon and Shirley Firth. CSHFM Collection.
Rhoda Wurtele, Shirley Firth, Sharon Firth, and Rhona Wurtele at 1990 Canadian Ski Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. CSHFM Collection.
Inductees Sharon and Shirley Firth with Allen Warren, a director of the Canadian Ski Museum, at the 1990 Canadian Ski Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. CSHFM Collection.
Sharon and Shirley Firth with Canadian Ski Museum Chair, Erle Bergh, at 1990 Canadian Ski Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. CSHFM Collection.
Sharon and Shirley Firth with Canadian Ski Museum Chair, Erle Bergh, at 1990 Canadian Ski Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. CSHFM Collection.
2015 Honoured Member: Sharon Firth - Cross-country Skiing | Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
2015 Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Induction Vignette | Sharon Firth
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