Barbara Cochran

For the American businessperson, see Barbara Corcoran.

Barbara Ann Cochran (born January 4, 1951) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medalist from the United States.^[1]

Barbara Cochran

Cochran at the 1972 Olympics
Personal information
Born	(1951-01-04) January 4, 1951 (age 74) 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 Women's alpine skiing Representing the  United States Olympic Games 1972 Sapporo Slalom World Championships 1970 Val Gardena Slalom

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

Cochran on a stamp of Ajman

• 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

Season standings

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

• 3 wins – (2 SL, 1 GS)
• 18 podiums – (11 SL, 7 GS)

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, 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	21	1	11	not run	—	not run

• From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing.

See also

• Skiing Cochrans