Finland won the first Olympic gold medal in women's cross-country skiing at the 1952 Oslo Winter Olympics.
The inaugural women's Olympic cross-country race was the 10-kilometre event. Finland's Lydia Wideman won the title, giving her country the first women's cross-country skiing gold medal in Olympic history.
Wideman finished ahead of fellow Finnish skier Mirja Hietamies, while Sweden's Sonja Edström took bronze. The race marked the first time women were included in the Olympic cross-country skiing programme, which had previously been limited to men.
The women's distance was 10 kilometres at the Oslo Games. Later Olympics expanded the programme substantially, adding longer races, relay events and eventually sprint competitions. Finland's early success helped establish the country as one of the sport's historic powers.