Cross-country skiing champion Kristina Šmigun-Vähi running for parliament
Less than four months before the general election, parties continue to look for celebrities to join their ranks. The Reform Party's latest candidate for parliament is two-time Olympic champion Kristina Šmigun-Vähi.
As TV channel Kanal 2 said on Tuesday evening, Šmigun-Vähi will run for parliament for the Reform Party in the Central Tallinn electoral district.
Her comments to the channel's Radar magazine provide a pretty good overview why the party would choose her: "I'm not entering politics as a top-level athlete, I'm going there as a hard-working Estonian woman who cares for her children and their future. Women like that especially should be given a louder voice, which I hope to be contributing to," Šmigun-Vähi said.
After the end of her cross-country skiing career, Šmigun-Vähi completed a degree in economics at the University of Tartu. "I feel I'm ready now to give my all for the good of Estonia," the 41-year-old said.
Reform Party chairwoman, Kaja Kallas said that talking to Šmigun-Vähi, she had found that the former athlete shares the party's world view.
In February 2016 Šmigun-Vähi won Olympic gold in the 7.5-km double pursuit. She won a second gold medal in the 10-km classical in the same Olympics just days later. In February 2010, she won Olympic silver in the 10-km freestyle race. She announced her retirement in the same year.
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Editor: Dario Cavegn
