 Cochran at the 1972 Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | January 4, 1951 Claremont, New Hampshire | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Alpine skier | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 1 in (155 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Skiing career | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Disciplines | Slalom, giant slalom | ||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup debut | March 1968 (age 17) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | March 1974 (age 23) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | sportssuccesscoaching.com | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 1 – (1972) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 1 (1 gold) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championships | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | 3 – (1970, 1972, 1974) includes Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Medals | 2 (1 gold) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 6 – (1969–1974) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 3 – (2 SL, 1 GS) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Podiums | 18 – (11 SL, 7 GS) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall titles | 0 – (5th in 1970) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline titles | 0 – (2nd in SL, 1970) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Barbara Ann Cochran (born January 4, 1951) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medalist from the United States.[1]
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 the Silver Medal in Men's Super-G in the 2022 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.[1]
Cochran now lives in her home in Starksboro, working hard 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 obstacles that life throws at you. She is also working on a book that should soon be published. 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.[2] Cochran was also inducted into the then-recently established Vermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
Career highlights[edit]
- 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 [3][4]
- Two-time U.S. national champion.
World Cup results[edit]
Season standings[edit]
| Season | Age | Overall | Slalom | Giant slalom |
Super G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 17 | 36 | 22 | — | not run |
— | not run |
| 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[edit]
| Season | Date | Location | Discipline | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 10 Dec 1969 |  Val d'Isere, France |
Giant slalom | 2nd |
| 12 Dec 1969 | Slalom | 2nd | ||
| 19 Dec 1969 |  Lienz, Austria |
Giant slalom | 3rd | |
| 4 Jan 1970 |  Oberstaufen, West Germany |
Giant slalom | 3rd | |
| 17 Jan 1970 |  Maribor, Yugoslavia |
Giant slalom | 3rd | |
| 18 Jan 1970 | Slalom | 1st | ||
| 13 Feb 1970 |  Val Gardena, Italy – (W.Ch.) |
Slalom | 2nd | |
| 22 Feb 1970 |  Jackson Hole, WY, USA |
Slalom | 2nd | |
| 27 Feb 1970 |  Vancouver, BC, Canada |
Giant slalom | 2nd | |
| 1971 | 4 Jan 1971 | Maribor, Yugoslavia |
Slalom | 3rd |
| 29 Jan 1971 | St. Gervais, France |
Slalom | 2nd | |
| 13 Feb 1971 | Mt. Ste. Anne, QC, Canada |
Slalom | 2nd | |
| 24 Feb 1971 | Heavenly Valley, CA, USA |
Slalom | 1st | |
| 26 Feb 1971 | Giant slalom | 1st | ||
| 1972 | 19 Jan 1972 |  Grindelwald, Switzerland |
Slalom | 3rd |
 1972 Winter Olympics
| ||||
| 18 Feb 1972 | Banff, AB, 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[edit]
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 21 | 1 | 11 | not run | — | not run |
- From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Barbara Cochran". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-18.
- ^ Wulf, Steve (2015-03-23). "Supersisters: Original Roster". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
- ^ Ski-db.com – results – Barbara Cochran – accessed 2010-03-11
- ^ FIS-ski.com – top ten results – Barbara Cochran – accessed 2010-03-11
External links[edit]
- Barbara Cochran at FIS (alpine)
- Barbara Cochran at Olympics.com
- Barbara Cochran at Olympedia
- Barbara Cochran at the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame
- Barbara Cochran at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- Official website
- U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame – Barbara A. Cochran – inducted 1976
- Vermont Sports Hall of Fame – Barbara Ann Cochran – inducted 2013
- University of Vermont Athletics Hall of Fame – Barbara Ann Cochran – skiing – inducted 1988
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