Barbara Cochran

Barbara Ann Cochran (born January 4, 1951) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medalist from the United States.

Born in Claremont, New Hampshire, Cochran was the second of four siblings of the famous "Skiing Cochrans" family of Richmond, Vermont, which has operated a small ski area in their backyard since 1961. Her father, Gordon "Mickey" Cochran, was a longtime coach, coaching youngsters of the Smuggler's Notch Ski Club, the University of Vermont Ski Team, and the U.S. Ski Team. The family has placed several generations of athletes on the U.S. Ski Team: three-time national champion sister Marilyn, Barbara Ann, nine-time national champion brother Bob, and two-time national champion sister Lindy. The family's next generation includes niece Jessica Kelley, nephews Jimmy Cochran, Roger Brown, Tim Kelley, Robby Kelley, and son, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, who won silver medals in the Super-G at the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympics.

After retiring from competitions, Cochran graduated from college in Vermont, married Ron Williams, and published her book Skiing for Women. She eventually became a writer for The Washington Post.

Cochran now lives in her home in Starksboro, working on her own business, Golden Opportunities in Sports, Business, and Life, which teaches people how to handle the pressures of competition, work, academics, and any other challenges. She also works at Cochran's Ski Area in Richmond, which is situated in the "back yard" of her childhood home. Cochran was inducted into the National Ski Hall of Fame in 1976, later joined by siblings Marilyn (1978) and Bob (2010). In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Cochran's name and picture. Cochran was also inducted into the then-recently established Vermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.

Career highlights

Gold medal in slalom at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan won by 0.02 seconds, the smallest winning margin in Olympic history. Silver medal in slalom at the 1970 World Championships in Val Gardena, Italy Three World Cup victories, 18 podiums, 45 top tens Ski-db.com – results – Barbara Cochran – accessed 2010-03-11FIS-ski.com – top ten results – Barbara Cochran – accessed 2010-03-11 Two-time U.S. national champion.

World Cup results

Season standings Season Age Overall Slalom Giantslalom Super G Downhill Combined 1968 17 36 22 — notrun — notrun 1969 18 18 9 26 — 1970 19 5 2 4 — 1971 20 8 3 12 — 1972 21 12 6 18 — 1973 22 21 10 23 — 1974 23 14 7 11 — Points were only awarded for top ten finishes (see scoring system).

Race podiums 3 wins – (2 SL, 1 GS) 18 podiums – (11 SL, 7 GS) SeasonDateLocationDisciplinePlace1970 10 Dec 1969 Val d'Isere, France Giant slalom 2nd12 Dec 1969 Slalom 2nd19 Dec 1969 Lienz, Austria Giant slalom 3rd4 Jan 1970 Oberstaufen, West Germany Giant slalom 3rd17 Jan 1970 Maribor, Yugoslavia Giant slalom 3rd18 Jan 1970 Slalom 1st13 Feb 1970 Val Gardena, Italy – (W.Ch.) Slalom 2nd22 Feb 1970 Jackson Hole, WY, USA Slalom 2nd27 Feb 1970 Vancouver, BC, Canada Giant slalom 2nd1971 4 Jan 1971 Maribor, Yugoslavia Slalom 3rd29 Jan 1971 St. Gervais, France Slalom 2nd13 Feb 1971 Mt. Ste. Anne, QC, Canada Slalom 2nd24 Feb 1971 Heavenly Valley, CA, USA Slalom 1st26 Feb 1971 Giant slalom 1st1972 19 Jan 1972 Grindelwald, Switzerland Slalom 3rd 1972 Winter Olympics18 Feb 1972 Banff, Alberta, Canada Slalom 2nd 1973 13 Mar 1973 Naeba, Japan Slalom 3rd 1974 9 Jan 1974 Les Gets, France Giant slalom 2nd World Championship results (Val Gardena, Italy) were included in the World Cup standings in 1970.

Olympic results Year Age Slalom Giant slalom Super-G Downhill Combined 1972 211 11 not run — not run From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing.

Barbara Cochran

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