Cross-country skiing champion Kristina Šmigun-Vähi running for parliament
![$content['photos'][0]['caption'.lang::suffix($GLOBALS['category']['lang'])]?>](https://i.err.ee/smartcrop?type=optimize&width=672&aspectratio=16%3A10&url=https%3A%2F%2Fs.err.ee%2Fphoto%2Fcrop%2F2018%2F10%2F08%2F553462h64c7.jpg)
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.
Download the ERR News app for Android and iOS now and never miss an update!
Editor: Dario Cavegn
