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 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.

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. 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.

Season standings

 * Points were only awarded for top ten finishes (see scoring system).

Race podiums
World Championship results (Val Gardena, Italy) were included in the World Cup standings in 1970.
 * 3 wins – (2 SL, 1 GS)
 * 18 podiums – (11 SL, 7 GS)

Olympic results

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