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 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 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) 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.