Emma Johansson

Emma Karolina Johansson (born 23 September 1983) is a Swedish retired professional racing cyclist. Nicknamed Silver Emma, Johansson accumulated many second and third places at major championships and one-day classics. In 2013 she finished the year as number one on the UCI Women's World Ranking.

She won the silver medal in the women's road race at both the 2008 and 2016 Summer Olympics, as well as one silver and two bronze medals at the Road World championships. She also holds a record four podium finishes at the Tour of Flanders for Women, with one second and three third places. Despite her amassing of podium places, she won several one-day races, including Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Ronde van Drenthe, Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio, Omloop van het Hageland, Le Samyn and the Holland Hills Classic.

Johansson was also successful in stage races. She won the Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen three times, the Emakumeen Euskal Bira twice and the Belgium Tour once. In addition, she won one stage in the 2012 Giro d'Italia Femminile and finished in the top ten in all three of her Giro d'Italia Femminile participations.

Biography

Early life and amateur career

Emma Johansson was born in Sollefteå, in northern Sweden. She engaged in cross-country skiing with the Sollefteå Ski Club at an early age, before taking an interest in mountainbiking through her older brother. She trained on military training fields, close to her house, which offered dirt roads and illuminated trails. She won her first silver medal in 1996, at the age of 12, at the Swedish national mountainbike championships in Uddevalla.