Marielle Goitschel

Marielle Goitschel won three Olympic medals in alpine skiing and from 1962-68, was the best female skiier in the world. At the 1964 Winter Olympics she won gold in the giant slalom and silver in the slalom, trading those podium positions with her sister, Christine in those two events. Marielle’s greatest performance likely came at the 1966 World Championships in Portillo, Chile, when she won four medals – golds in downhill, giant slalom and combined, and a silver in the slalom. At the 1962 Worlds in Chamonix she had won gold in the combined and silver in the slalom. From 1948-80 the Winter Olympics doubled as the World Championships, giving Marielle Goitschel a total of 11 World Championships medals – seven gold and four silvers.

In the 1966-67 World Cup season Marielle Goitschel was second in the overall, and won the downhill and slalom titles, with two victories that season in each event. She defended her slalom World Cup title in 1967-68, winning three slalom races that year. Goitschel was a five-time French champion, winning the slalom in 1965-67 and the giant slalom in 1966-67.

Marielle Goitschel was twice given the Prix Monique Berlioux by the French Academy of Sports (1962, 1968), for the best performance by a female athlete for the year. She was also twice given the Prix Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe by the French Academy of Sports (1964, 1966) for her sports contributions leading to material, scientific, or moral progress for mankind. She has been made an officer of the légion d’honneur and received the French national order of merit. A third Goitschel sister, Patricia, was French junior slalom champion in 1964 but never raced at the Olympics. Her nephew, Philippe Goitschel, was a world record holder in speed skiing, and finished second in the speed skiing demonstration event at the 1992 Albertville Olympics.