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Shirley and Sharon Firth
Shirley Firth, CM, cross-country skier (born 31 December 1953 in Aklavik, NWT; died 30 April 2013 in Yellowknife, NWT) and Sharon Anne Firth, CM, ONWT, cross-country skier (born 31 December 1953 in Aklavik, NWT). Twin sisters Shirley and Sharon Firth, members of the Gwich’in First Nation, were among the first Indigenous athletes to represent Canada at the Olympics. They were members of the first Canadian women’s Olympic cross-country skiteam and competed at four Olympic Winter Games. They were members of the national cross-country ski team for an unprecedented 17 consecutive years. Between them, they won 79 medals at the national championships, including 48 national titles. The first Indigenous women inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, they are Members of the Order of Canada and have been inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame.